360k tonnes of reusable clothes are dumped in landfill each year
As we launch the Wear Care Share project, stats show many items we bin could be recycled or reused by someone else
Last updated 23rd Feb 2022
"I'm not wearing that old thing!"
How many times do you say that when deciding what you're going to wear on a night out?
Ahead of Global Recycling Day in March, Greatest Hits Radio is taking a look at the stats and facts behind the UK's obsession with buying new clothes.
And we'll tell you how you can play your part in making sure your old items don't go to waste with our Wear Care Share project.
Fast fashion facts
The boom in fast fashion has meant high street and online stores now sell super cheap clothes with a designer look... but what's the real price we're having to pay?
Around 1.75m tonnes of clothing and textile waste is created in the UK each year 1.2m tonnes of it ends up in landfill.
360,000 tonnes of the textiles thrown away in the UK every year are clothes.
The average item of clothing is only worn 10 times before being discarded.
Clothing production has doubled in the last 15 years with the rise of "fast fashion"
Raw material demand is expected to triple from current levels by 2050.
One survey found young people consider an item to be "old" after it's been worn once or twice, and one in seven said it was a "fashion faux-pas" to be photographed in the same item twice.
Environmental impact
It's not just our pockets and wardrobes that are impacted by the explosion in disposable fashion, there are environmental factors too:
- Fashion sits fourth in a list of the worst industries for environmental impact, behind transport, housing and food.
- At the current rate, more than 25% of global carbon emissions will come from creating textiles by 2050.
- 35% of ocean plastic is thought to come from washing clothing like polyester.
- Cotton production accounts for up to a quarter of insecticide use worldwide.
- 87% of the total input into the textile industry currently ends up in landfill or an incinerator.
A report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation said $500bn was being wasted each year because we aren't reusing, recycling or repurposing clothes well enough.
Making a change
Clothing manufacturers are slowly starting to change the way they produce items, with many high street and online retailers developing "sustainable" fashion items that come from responsibly sourced locations.
LISTEN: The So You Want to Save the Planet Podcast investigates fashion's impact on climate change
While this is a step in the right direction, others accuse them of "greenwashing" which means to make a lot of noise about a small environmental policy, while actually continuing to pursue practices that are bad for the environment.
Consumers are changing too:
- 81% of recipients to one survey said if brands make it easier to reuse or recycle their products or packaging they'd be more likely to make a purchase.
- 16-34 year olds are 39% more likely to by a second hand item than some aged 35-64.
- More than one in five people in Europe has used an online clothes rental platform.
Half of fashion buyers in Europe also thought manufacturers should do more to help consumers repair clothing when required.
National Recycling Manager Peter Page, from Textiles Recycling International, speaks to Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle about fast-fashion and clothes going into landfill
Wear Care Share
Ahead of Global Recycling Day Cash for Kids is working with Textile Recycling International to encourage textile recycling to launch Wear Care Share.
Our charity, which raises money for disadvantaged children, is looking to recycle textiles and clothing that might have ended up going into landfill.
For every tonne collected Cash for Kids will receive £400 to help us continue supporting children in our community who need it.
Schools, businesses and organisations can sign up now as a drop-off point
- 75% of donated items will be reused.
- 22% will be recycled into things like insulation and underlay.
- The remaining 3% is turned into fuel which can be used to generate energy.
To find out more go to the Wear Care Share page on greatesthitsradio.co.uk