Cutting the waste in 2025

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - I'll start by saying, "I love new clothes." I love to shop, and even though I need nothing, I always find something to purchase. But I'm using the start of a new year to stop buying, reuse more, and repurpose as much as I can.

This isn't going to be a typical New Year's Resolution that one follows for a couple of weeks or a month - I'm committed to making this a way of life. This is going to be a change that has come about by a couple of things: Textile waste and bulging closets.

92 million tons of textile waste are produced each year. This is equivalent to a garbage truck of clothing being dumped every second. The average American throws away 81.5 pounds of clothing each year, which is about 11.3 million tons of textile waste. This is 85 percent of all textiles in the US. In 2017, 10.2 million tons of textiles ended up in landfills in the US. In 2018, 17 million tons of textile waste ended up in landfills. At least three out of five items purchased are thrown away within a year. In 2023, it is estimated that of the 100 billion garments produced, 92 million tons ended up in landfills.

Yikes!

Because of this waste, California enacted the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 - the first of its kind clothing recycling law. By 2026, all clothing producers in California must join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). By 2030, each PRO must implement a stewardship program. This landmark legislation sets a path for other U.S. states to follow, as related efforts to address microplastic pollution and fashion waste gain traction nationwide.

Not that my closets and drawers net tons of waste, but I certainly am responsible for more textile waste than the average American.

When I was reading the new law, the following statement hit me: The law renders producers responsible for the collection, repair, reuse, and recycling of textiles statewide.

The law will push people to become creative on how they get rid of clothing. Thrift stores and nonprofits are both great places to donate and shop at - maybe more will start showing up when the legal requirements change. Maybe people will start doing pop-up exchanges. Clothing can be resold on line and there are several popular websites for those transactions. Some retailers like Nike, Patagonia, and H&M have already been involved in recycling and repurposing their products when consumers send back their old items.

I am an "out of the box" thinker, and in the last few days have started researching clothing recycling groups and social media pages. There are ideas for cutting apart our current clothes and creating something new out of the fabric. I've also been researching crocheting and twisting fabric scraps into rugs and other forms of art. Old clothes can also be used for composting (if natural fibers like cotton, wool, or silk), cut apart for rags, makeup removal pads, or sewn into purses.

Could this lead to a new meaning to "rags to riches?"

While donating old clothing will be the easiest way to reduce what's in the closets, and it's a start, learning how to reuse, recycle, repurpose in many ways will be more rewarding, as well as cutting back what is purchased in the first place.