Does this make my landfill look big?
Does this make my landfill look big?
As a society we’ve gone from careful wardrobe purchase decisions, to serial recreational shopping. All of those crazed lunchtime sprees (you know, gobbling up that burger in the parking lot so you’ll have an extra fifteen minutes for retail therapy), or filling that thirty minutes before your next appointment with some fleeting shopping bliss, may soon have to go by the wayside. (OK, this is my story. One which I’m sure many share.)
Aside from the direct assault on the designer wallet’s contents, there is also a matter of the impact on the environment. That little twelve dollar number you just bought at the big box discount store probably does not score highly in the “green” category. Think about the process – from thread, to weaving, to cutting, to sewing, to packaging, to shipping, to the store, to you – this is a long chain of resources and energy expended. Not to mention the impact at the landfill when the item falls apart, or gets trashed because it is now boring, or never quite worked for one reason or another.
“But it was such a bargain” you say. “If it was ten bucks, and I wore it twice, I got my money’s worth”. Maybe psychologically you did, but did it really make ecological sense? According to the Council of Textile Recycling, the average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per year. I’m guessing that number is much higher for the average Fashionista.
So what can you do?
• Reduce: Buy less – Do you really need another tee shirt?
• Reuse: Buy quality – Quality fabrics and garments last longer, reduce wear, and usually can have another life through consignment or donation to a second hand or charity shop.
• Recycle: There is currently no processing of textile waste in Kern County. Think about a second purpose for that old sock or torn tee, such as a rag, or stuffing for a craft item.
• Check the label – Buy items made from recycled materials, like plastic bottles, reclaimed cotton or pre-consumer recycled fibers.
Buy only clothing that makes you look 100% fabulous. I guarantee it won’t be making its way into the brown can anytime soon.
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Mimi Dorsey, AICI CIP
o o o Unique Image Design o o o
Universal Style International Associate
11693 San Vincente Blvd. #610
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 285-3161
mimi@uniqueimagedesign.com
www.uniqueimagedesign.com
Comments
YOU ARE SO RIGHT! No one thinks about those things- when you buy a 6-pack of beer bottles, how much of that weight is actually beverage? How much gasoline was burned to get a bunch of glass from the brewery, to the wholesaler, to the store, to your home, and then the process of recycling even takes a lot of energy, as does creating the bottle in the first place. Another thing people don't think about- water takes energy. From processing to heating it for your shower to dealing with waste greywater, it doesn't just fall out of the sky and into your faucet. Remember during the first rolling blackouts, the water pumping plants drained the most energy in the state. I'm glad you're reminding people that everything they use doesn't just appear on the shelf, nor does it disappear into thin air and even recycling has a price.