Discarding Textiles in the Landfill

Textiles, defined as a type of cloth or woven fabric, have been around for several generations. "Anthropologists believe that animal skins and vegetation were adapted into coverings as protection from cold, heat and rain, especially as humans migrated to new climates."

The earliest evidence of weaving comes from impressions of textiles and basketry and nets on little pieces of hard clay, dating from 27,000 years ago and found in Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic.
According to britannica.com, "The term is derived from the Latin textilis and the French texere, meaning “to weave,” and it originally referred only to woven fabrics. It has, however, come to include fabrics produced by other methods."

Today's textiles are generally mass-produced, thanks to fully-automated machinery. But as they are mass-produced, however, they are discarded in mass quantities, as well. "Americans discard approximately 13.1 million tons of textiles a year, and only about 15 percent of that is reclaimed for recycling. This means that more than 11 million tons of textiles are dumped into landfills across the country each year using more than 126 million cubic yards of landfill space."

"Raw materials, fiber types, and additional finishes are some of the factors scientists take into account when evaluating the effects of textiles on the environment. The evaluations are based on standardized soil burial tests according to international standards, which are used to determine the decomposition or breakdown behavior of materials."

From a glamour standpoint, today's fashions hit the mark for trendy styles and eye appeal. "From an environmental point of view, the clothes we wear and the textiles they are made from can cause a great deal of damage." Chemicals, especially those used in bleaching processes, and dyes used in the production of yarns and fibers can account for sufficient damage to surrounding soils and may leach into groundwater.

Fortunately, textiles can have extended lifespans when reused, traded, donated, and upcycled to different owners with different uses for each product. Consider these alternatives when discarding a perfectly good textile item in even fair condition. Someone somewhere may be happy to receive a new treasure.

wikipedia.org
fibre2fashion.com
huffingtonpost.com
epa.gov