Why Swapping Clothes is Good for the Environment
Today, everybody seems to be "talking" the eco friendly product talk, but I was recycling years ago, and I was swapping clothes with friends, buying used clothes, just as soon as I reached High school. I remember all of my friends calling me "cheap". But the truth is that going to the thrift store, or swapping clothes with friends was just so much fun. I didn´t get into it to save money, although that benefit alone is well worth taking on clothes swapping, and thrift shop purchasing. But the truth is swapping clothes is a lot of fun, and now all the environmentalists have realized that it is also good for the environment too. Do you know that over 6 million tons of clothing end up in land fills every year, and that much of that clothing is made of man made synthetic material like polyester? Do you also know that it takes a great deal of energy to produce man made materials, and that oil is used to produce polyester? If a large number of the population started recycling their clothing, just imagine the amount of energy we would save in producing it.
There is nothing worse, than seeing someone throw there perfectly great clothes in the trash. Nothing is so infuriating, because someone else could have a great use for those clothes. Plus, it only instigates manufacturers who use non environmentally friendly methods of producing these "throw away" garments, to produce more. This type of clothing has become so economical to make, that people believe it is: "use it and throw it out!"
Recycling Works for Any Type of Clothing No Matter What State It´s In
You might think, that the clothes you are throwing away are worn and not in great shape. But most of the clothing people throw in the garbage are not torn, and so can be of great service to many other people. Even if clothing is easily accesible in your country, in many countries it is not, and countries like the United States and Canada often export clothes that cannot be used, or sold in their country to other countries. Clothing is never wasted if it is recycled. Even clothing that is not in great shape and can no longer be worn, can be shredded and is used to create shammies, and soft cleaning cloths.
What Happens if We Dont Recycle
Now lets look at the world impact when those clothes get thrown out instead of swapped. There is no question, that fashion is leaving it´s pollution footprint on the world. This is because clothing in many countries can be extremely cheap. This means people have a more "disposable" view of their clothing options.
Yet much of this clothing is made with polyester, or other man made materials, which are made from petroleom, chemicals, petro-chemicals and other harmful pollutants. The use of polyester in clothing has more than doubled in the last 15 years. Producing polyester and other synthetic fabrics takes large amounts of oil, which in turn release a great deal of emissions and acid gases. These emissions cause serious respiratory diseases, and damage the environment, and cause severe climatical changes. So, the more clothes you throw out, and the more new clothes you buy, the more these factories produce, which then causes serious problems in the environment. This is no Joke! Even the EPA has made mention that many textile manufacturing plants are hazardous waste generators, but since many of these plants are located out of the United States, the EPA cannot regulate them.
Just think for a minute! You could help out! All you have to do is recycle your clothing, swap it out with friends, donate it, and take a little time to dispose of it the right way.
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