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Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

abc.net.au

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Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#51

Post by NikolaNovak »

francisofascii wrote: post #33

Any tips on extending the life of our clothes? I love new t-shirts, but they seem to wear down quickly. Maybe there is a way to wash them and get the sweat smell out without wearing down the shirt. I always use cold water, and only wash/dry when necessary. I heard washer agitation is a problem.

How quickly do they seem to wear down?

I'm wearing a 15yo t-shirt as I speak and it's in great shape. I have several in closet that are 20yo. I don't take any particular care other than always washing on cold and using low temperature drier.

My polo shirts depending on material do seem to wear down, on the collar in particular. They seem to be from different material than most t shirts.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#52

Post by snarf21 »

jnwatson wrote: post #48

It is articles like this that remind me that we so desperately need a carbon tax. Making a t-shirt in China, shipping to the US, wearing it for a few times, and then shipping it to Africa should not be economically viable.

I agree that we need a carbon tax. However, mega ships are super carbon efficient. You driving to the store to buy the shirt burned added more carbon than the amount of carbon to ship it from Asia. Our personal vehicles are not efficient. Large, relatively slow moving transport (train, container ship) is. We are a major contributor to all the consumption driven pollution in Asia.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#53

Post by gambiting »

We run a processing company for second hand clothing in Poland(as well as our own shops), and while I can't comment on exports to Africa or elsewhere, that's definitely not the case for us. Primarly because we try to make use of absolutely everything we import, but also because few years back certain legislations were introduced that basically prevent companies like ours from producing large amounts of waste, with draconian fines if we do.

So basically we buy clothes from say.....charities in UK or elsewhere, import them to Poland, sort them in our own warehouse, price everything individually, sell in our own shops. Then goods which are damaged/stained/faulty are cut into pieces and sold as cleaning rags(also done in house). Then things which literally cannot be cut into rags are sold further to a company that shreds them for textile filling for car seats etc. And finally, if you have something so utterly destroyed that it's literally useless - say a pair of shoes that have been through mud and disentegrated(why would anyone "donate" these is a different matter), those have to go to the landfill. But I'd estimate that's less than 1% of our entire output.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#54

Post by foobarian »

MomoXenosaga wrote: post #43
atlasunshrugged wrote: post #29

Really interesting having just come back from a project in Kenya (and a vacation in Uganda) and one of the really striking things was how many older American/EU clothes were on the street (e.g. sweaters from smaller colleges, shirts referencing mid-sized sporting events for american football). I asked a few of the people I was working with about it and they were quite negative, along with cheap Chinese imports, it ha…

That is true of the European textile industry as well, although Italy still makes clothes. Made by Chinese that moved there.

I'm disappointed by the shuttering of textile industries in east Europe. It's not just the manufacturing of finished garments; the raw fabrics that used to come out of there were above and beyond what I can find today even in fancy stores. It's like fabric manufacture centralized behind the scenes until everyone has access to the same thin, cost-optimized material and just puts their brand name on it.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#55

Post by Zababa »

MomoXenosaga wrote: post #43
atlasunshrugged wrote: post #29

Really interesting having just come back from a project in Kenya (and a vacation in Uganda) and one of the really striking things was how many older American/EU clothes were on the street (e.g. sweaters from smaller colleges, shirts referencing mid-sized sporting events for american football). I asked a few of the people I was working with about it and they were quite negative, along with cheap Chinese imports, it ha…

That is true of the European textile industry as well, although Italy still makes clothes. Made by Chinese that moved there.

Not sure about that. I knew a few people working in textile, and most of if was made in Eastern Europe because the delays were shorter. They were high-end brands though.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#56

Post by dhosek »

atlasunshrugged wrote: post #29

Really interesting having just come back from a project in Kenya (and a vacation in Uganda) and one of the really striking things was how many older American/EU clothes were on the street (e.g. sweaters from smaller colleges, shirts referencing mid-sized sporting events for american football). I asked a few of the people I was working with about it and they were quite negative, along with cheap Chinese imports, it ha…

I couldn't help thinking of this:

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2013/12/11/250200378/we-f...

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#57

Post by tcfunk »

I'd be curious to know if it is helpful or hurtful for me (as someone who can afford to buy "new" cloths) to shop at secondhand clothing stores.

Am I preventing clothes from getting shipped out to Africa, or preventing someone of less means from finding something to wear? Or a bit of both?

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#58

Post by dhosek »

MisterTea wrote: post #34
skinkestek wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

10 years ago or so I saw plastic wapped bundles of shredded cottonwear in the shelves at a mechanic shop I frequented at the time so some of it clearly has taken that path.

Rags were and still are a useful item in industrial shops as they are stronger than paper towels, don't fall apart, and handle sharp metal edges and rough surfaces. In the old days a "ragman" would come by your shop and buy/sell scrap fabric for rag use. When I was a kid in the 80's I distinctly remember a man pulling up in an old truck and my father buying a few boxes of rags for his machine shop, rummaging through…

Until the late 19th century, paper was more frequently made from rags than wood pulp. The switch to wood pulp was because paper demand outstripped rag supply. Perhaps it's time for a return to increased rag content in paper.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#60

Post by nitrogen »

jnwatson wrote: post #48

It is articles like this that remind me that we so desperately need a carbon tax. Making a t-shirt in China, shipping to the US, wearing it for a few times, and then shipping it to Africa should not be economically viable.

[commerce] should not be economically viable.

Declaring that the cornerstones of modern, industrialized life should not be economically viable is basically calling "game over" and giving up. We can do much better. Climate defeatism should be replaced by climate entrepreneurism. If you don't like something, make something better!

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