We all follow the industry of fashion in some way; every piece of clothing you purchase was designed for you. The problem is some of those items may have been designed poorly, or you only wore it once. The result? Clothing waste, and lots of it. In Michelle Russell’s study in 2016 she stated her results to be: “US consumers report throwing away an average of 4.7 trash bags worth of clothing each year, while the actual amount disposed is nearly double, at 8.1 trash bags worth.” (“US consumers underestimate clothing waste”)

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Here’s what we can do about it:

• Buy less & buy quality

We’re not saying don’t follow fashion, but pay attention to the quickly passing trends that you may not need to take part of. Buy your staple items from high quality brands that will last longer and fit better. Try to resist buying counterfeit overseas clothing just because it will save you a few bucks now!

• Donate and recycle!!

Check out a local donation drop off, whether it’s for profit or not, you never know what they might want. I always recommend trying it as a second hand store and getting some of your money back if it simply doesn’t fit. The goal is to keep it out of the landfills!

Sources

“US consumers underestimate clothing waste.” just-style.com, 9 June 2016. Academic …..OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=s8405248&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA463637299&it=r&…..asid=b9efcac38bb4988aaac033006eae495e. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.