Did you know that, on average, Britons buy around 1.1 million tonnes worth of clothing each year? This equates to roughly 26.2 million tonnes of CO2. As an addition to that fact, did you also know that we send approximately 235 million items of clothing to landfill sites around the country every single year as well? Quite frankly, this should be seen as a shocking statistic, especially seeing as almost 100% of clothing items are completely recyclable!
We are at a point in the environment saving game now where throwing away clothing and leaving it for rubbish removal just isn’t going to cut it. We need to start being smarter than that, and the more that we can all do as individuals, the more of an impact we can start to make on a larger scale. Without further ado, here are some top tips for reducing your own level of clothing waste.
Use A Diversion Service
If you take the time to organise a professional rubbish removal, you can make a huge difference. For example, a company like Clearabee can arrange to pick up anything that you want to throw away, and in doing so up to 95% of waste, including clothing, can be diverted away from landfill. Using Clearabee is also good for the environment in other ways too, as not only do they help with rubbish removal, but they also offset the carbon from their vehicles by 150%.
Make Them Last Longer
You can prevent rubbish removal having to happen to frequently if you commit to make your clothing last longer in the first place. One easy way to do this is to wash your items at a lower temperature. This prevents them from shrinking prematurely and keeps them in overall better condition. Of course, the longer your clothes can stay in their original shape with their original colours, the longer you are going to want to continue wearing them.
Learn to Sew
One of the main reasons that people throw away their clothing prematurely is because they get a rip or tear that they can’t fix. Rather than heading out to the store to get a new cheap shirt, why not spend some time learning how to fix the one that you have torn instead? Any rip along a seam can be easily repaired to a like-new condition, and all it takes it a simple needle and thread.
Donate
When you absolutely insist on ridding your closet of certain items, don’t automatically go to throw them out. Donate them instead. When clothing is still in relatively good condition, it is much better off going to a charity shop so that other people can pick it up and continue its shelf life. You are staying away from the landfill, and you are enabling somebody else to avoid having to add to the carbon footprint of brand new item manufacture.
Swap and Share
More and more swap meets are starting to crop up all over the country, and they can be a great way to get rid of clothing that you no longer want, and potentially pick up a few new items without having to go and buy them brand new from a shop. The more people can get involved with this kind of community based clothing exchange projects, the smaller the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the fashion industry will be. It might not feel like you are making a big difference in the moment, but the more people who aren’t throwing away their clothes and repurposing them instead, the further away the prospect of landfill becomes.
Before you make our next fashion purchase, stop and ask yourself if you really need it. Before you throw that clothing item in the bin, consider the impact that action has.