People worldwide like to hop on the latest fashion trends and buy various clothes. Similarly, like trends, clothes also get forgotten. As a result, they must discard the old used clothes to accommodate new clothes. With so many people doing the same, landfills are filled with tonnes of clothes, creating clothing waste.
The clothes in these landfills take more than 200 years to decompose. To create more space in the landfill for new waste, at least 60% of the clothing is burned or incinerated. Doing so releases many gasses, such as methane, that are harmful to the environment. To combat this issue, various companies collect used clothing; you can even search for Zagumi used clothing to learn more about such companies.
The collection of used clothing helps in reducing clothing waste to a large extent. It also ensures that used clothing that is wearable can reach needy people instead of causing pollution. But since the population is increasing day by day, how is this used clothing collected?
How Are Used Clothes Collected?
These used clothes are used widely for DIY, thrown in bins, or donated. For people, distinct colored bins are usually placed in crowded areas to ensure that the used clothes are not mixed with the trash while discarding old clothing in that bin. These bins are placed preferably in high-traffic places such as malls and parking lots.
Many leading retailers have now joined hands with recycling companies. Doing so has increased the flow of used articles of clothing that the recycling companies get in articles like shoes, bags, dresses, and more. It has also helped segregate the used clothes into wearable and torn ones. All this later contributes to the environment by producing less pollution.
Disposal Of Used Clothes
Companies segregate all used clothes into various types after the collection process. Further, the used clothes undergo different treatments to reach the end product. Disposal of used clothes through segregation and planned use is better than ending up in landfills only to create more pollution while taking up large spaces.
The segregation process of the collected clothing decides how the companies will dispose of the clothes. The segregation of used clothing is explained below for a better understanding
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Reuse
These are the clothes which are in good condition. They are mostly donated clothes or clothes discarded by the factories. Further, they divided the used clothing into different categories on the basis of their material and brands. After segregation, these clothes are resold in other countries and bought in bulk by thrift shops.
A good portion of these clothes is even used in the fashion industry when making prototypes of dresses. Finally, the clothes left even after selling get sent to recycling factories.
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Fiber
Torn and non-wearable clothes are sent straight to the recycling factories. Here all the buttons, zips, and other accessories from the clothes are removed. After this, the clothes undergo various processes and are dipped in chemicals to remove any dirt and color. It results in all the clothes looking the same after this process has finished.
Clothes made of natural textiles do not undergo chemical treatment, and the same colored clothes go to different sites to lower chemical pollution produced from chemical dyes. All the clothes of similar colors are gathered and transformed into a fiber. This type of fiber people see commonly used in mattresses, car insulations, and other places.
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Rags
Clothes with horrible conditions and undergoing recycling several times come under this category. These clothes and the leftover cloth pieces are collected and cleaned again. These are then later woven and are used to form foot mats, mops, and rags for cleaning purposes. The hotel and cleaning industry widely uses these articles.
Even after people cannot use the rags, they are burned or cleaned again, only to fill inside things such as cushions and mattresses.
What Do NGOs Do After Collecting Used Clothing?
Various well-known NGOs obtain a large amount of new as well as used clothes in donation drives and charity events. Those clothes which can be worn and not worn undergo segregation. After the segregation process, they divide the unwearable cloth for reuse and recycling.
Reusable clothes are then later used as rags or for craft purposes. Afterward, all the clothes that are not in good condition are collected and then sent to textile recycling companies.
Conclusion
People gift new clothes at various festivals and events to their loved ones. And with the coming of clothes old clothes also have to be discarded. All around the world, when these clothes go into the garbage usually end up in landfills or burned. Many companies have started collecting these used clothes, preventing them from ending up in landfills and producing pollution.
They collect these used clothes and distribute them wherever needed. It ensures unnecessary waste and production rates do not rise before ending up in landfills.
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