This year, the 47th annual Earth Day will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22nd. Many Americans don’t realize how much clothing ends up in landfills, taking up valuable space and releasing harmful gases and chemicals into the atmosphere. Reducing clothing waste has become a goal for many environmentally-conscious citizens, and this Earth Day marks a perfect opportunity to shine a light on this important topic.
Cheaply-made Clothing and Faster Fashion Cycles Contribute to Waste
As clothing became mass-produced, and then more cheaply-made, affordability and increased fashion cycles skyrocketed. While at first glance, affordable clothing seems like a positive, low-quality items tend to get treated as disposable and end up being tossed. NPR reported that fashion has moved from a 4-season industry to as many as 10-15 cycles per year, and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans alone now generate roughly 14-15 million tons of textile waste each year.
Low Quality Garments are More Difficult to Recycle
Textile recycling, as well as the secondhand clothing industry, are enormous global businesses that help alleviate the problem of clothing waste. Clothing that can’t be resold is often made into industrial wiping cloths, cleaning cloths, rugs, carpeting, and more. When garment quality is low, however, recyclers have a difficult time finding buyers for the used fabrics.
Investing in Well-Made Clothes
Although it’s tempting to stock up on cheap clothing that you can wear a few times and get rid of, the cost of “fast fashion” is high when it comes to the environment. Investing in quality pieces that can last through the years can be a responsible and wise investment both financially and socially. Although “fast fashion” makes it difficult to keep up with the trends of the moment, many clothing styles are timeless or stay in fashion for years. When you purchase clothing you really like, it can be frustrating if it falls apart after just a few washes. Investing in well-made clothing instead often gets a better return on your money, and comes with the added insurance that, even when it goes out of style, it has a higher likelihood of being usefully repurposed.
Other ideas for saving clothing from waste include clothing swaps, renting special occasion outfits, and repurposing fabric at home yourself.
Mattituck and Greenport Laundry’s full-service laundry business can care for your clothing with our dry cleaning, wash & fold, and pick-up services. With three convenient locations to serve you in the North Fork area of Long Island, New York, and over 15 years of experience caring for our customers’ treasured garments, we make it easy to keep your wardrobe fresh and ready-to-wear. Please call one of our locations to schedule services, or visit our website to learn more about us!
