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EPIB Trail
Volume 12, Issue 3
Textile Waste: Where Do Your Clothes Go? By Becca Bright
Americans today, as a result of societal pressures and global capitalism, are focused on material items, namely clothing. Current trends, driven by social media, require outfits to be on trend, as well as seldom repeated; thus, a necessity for high volumes of clothing is bred. In the United States alone, about 25 billion pounds of textiles are made each year, resulting in about 82 pounds per citizen, (McAllister). The question stands: What happens to these textiles when a consumer is done with it? Textiles are animal-based materials, including wool or silk, plant-based materials such as linen and cotton, and synthetic material like polyester and rayon. Textiles are used in the production of clothing, shoes, linens, and other wearable items. The textile industry is problematic for its significant addition to environmental degradation, through water usage, pesticide use on crops like cotton, production of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide, and most notably, its contribution to landfills, (O’Connor). According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, textile waste accounts for nearly 5% of all landfill space, (Harmony). In 2017, 16,880 tons of textiles were generated and 11,130 tons were put in landfills, compared to the 1960 statistics of 1,760 tons generated and
1,710 tons put in landfills. Roughly 95% of textile waste is recyclable, but only 15%, or 2,570 pounds were recycled in 2017, (“Textiles: Material-Specific Data”). Second to oil, the textile industry is the largest polluter in the world, (“Fashion Industry Waste Statistics”). Students at Rutgers University— New Brunswick have varying degrees of interest in the fashion industry. However, upon asking students about their viewpoints of textile waste, many students felt similarly. A commonality among many of the responses was the lack of and consequent need for education. Maithreyi Ravula, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, said, “Most people aren't aware of their nearest clothing donation centers and the fact that clothing can be recycled”. As a society, we must focus more attention on educating one another on how our actions and choices impact the environment, as well as better alternatives to utilize. If fast fashion, thrifting, and textile waste were discussed more widely, textile waste reduction would be possible. Olivia Woodruff, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, echoed this sentiment and called attention to the difference in public attention to plastic, over textile waste. “I think many people aren’t aware of textile
