It is no secret that the fast fashion industry has not been kind to the planet. From contributing to air and water pollution, fast fashion is one of the world's most environmentally hazardous industries. Sadly, human behavior contributes to this issue with over 85 percent of clothing items being thrown away and ending up in landfills.
Fortunately, clothing can be easily recycled and given new life without having to end up in the trash. The start of a new year is the perfect time to form better habits to help the environment. Planet Aid has compiled a list of reasons why you should start recycling your used clothing ASAP!
As noted, fast fashion is a major contributor to pollution, both on land and in sea. The fashion industry produces 10 percent of global carbon emissions, which equates to 1.7 billion tons of CO2 each year. The fashion industry contributes more to carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping.
Even after clothing is disposed of, it continues to harm the earth. A majority of fast fashion items contain synthetic fabrics that are non-biodegradable. When these items are thrown away and reach a landfill, they just lie there and emit harmful gases.
It is incredibly important that you begin to recycle your old shoes and clothes so that avoid ending up in landfills. For every pound of clothing that avoids disposal, around three to four pounds of CO2 is saved.
Recycling clothes not only benefits the environment, it positively affects people around the world. When you donate textiles to Planet Aid, a portion of the donation is sold to developing countries where they support local businesses. This is a result of the high demand for used clothing in developing countries and the relatively low demand for used textiles in the U.S.
Planet Aid also donates the net proceeds from the sale of used clothing to support projects across 13 countries. These projects include Food for Knowledge, Teacher Training, and Child Aid.
With over 19,000 individual units covering 19 states, our large yellow donation bins are designed to make clothing recycling easy as possible. Many of our bins are located in shopping and community centers so that you do not have to go out of your way to donate.
To find the closest bin to you, go to planetaid.org/find-a-bin