The travels of your textile trash OHCE 2017 15 Minute Leader Lesson

Description Things we don’t need anymore = trash or recycle Trash = landfill = all sorts of problems Recycling = paper, plastic, and glass + TEXTILES! = reducing negative impact on environment Learn about the different paths that your textile trash can take as you reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose In today’s world, when we think about throwing things away, we consider trash or recycle. When you trash, items go to the landfill and contribute to all sorts of problems. Think beyond paper, plastic, and glass when recycling. Did you know that almost 100 percent of household textiles and clothing can be recycled, regardless of quality or condition? Come and learn about the different paths that your textile trash can take are you reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose.

Why do we care? Double green! Environment Money “According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year, and clothing and other textiles represent about 4% of the municipal solid waste” EHP U115, #9 Sept 07 Almost 100 percent of household textiles and clothing can be recycled, regardless of quality or condition Consider the money spent on clothing and other textiles. By reducing, reusing, and recycling, we can save money This gives you double green. You help the environment and your wallet!

Did you know… “Cotton cultivation accounts for 16% of global pesticide use and 25% of pesticides used in the United States.” (Environmental Health Perspectives, v. 115, #9 Sept 2007) “The manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease.” (EHP Volume 115, #9, Sept 2007) Silk worms are killed to make high quality silk, and it takes about 1,000 cocoons to make a silk shirt. Imagine how many silk worms it takes to maintain our global production of silk is over 58,000 tons annually. “Sheep farming and wool scouring have a heavy impact on the environment, not only through pesticides used, but because of the methane, a powerful green house gas generated globally by hundred of millions of sheep, which contributes to the effects of global warming.” (Habitat Australia 36.2, April 2008, p. 16)

The big picture – what happens to textile waste Source: Hawley, J. M. (2008). Economic impact of textile recycling. New York: Fairchild Books.

Sustainable textile disposal: REDUCE! Be purposeful with your purchases Clothing Avoid impulse buying Plan wardrobe every season Remember what you have – buy multiple use pieces Consider renting clothing for one-time events Consider swapping clothes with friends or family members to prolong their lifespan One in = one out Household textiles Reuse as much as you can

Sustainable textile disposal: REUSE! Use unwanted textiles for other purposes Buy or seek used clothes Style clothes into your wardrobe Repurpose one thing into another thing Buy from thrift store Redesign from old clothes

Sustainable textile disposal: RECYCLE! Give to centers that will turn waste into other things Nylon carpeting is 100% recyclable! Damaged clothes into rags Adapt for Swiffer Insulation from old jeans

Eight facts about textile waste The average lifetime of a piece of clothing is only about 3 years When it comes to textile waste, the consumer is the biggest culprit. In the U.S., 75% of pre-consumer textile waste is recycled by manufacturers, but only 15% of post-consumer textile waste is recycled Every year, 3.8 billion pounds of unnecessary waste from recyclable textiles are added to our landfills Clothing and household textiles currently make up 5.2% of the waste in landfills Up to 95% of the textiles that are land filled each year could be recycled. Recycling clothing and textiles decreases the use of natural resources, such as water used in growing crops and petroleum used in creating new clothing and textiles. It also decreases the need for chemicals used in manufacturing new textiles and the pollution caused by the manufacturing process. The U.S. textile recycling industry creates around 17,000 jobs and removes 2.5 billion pounds of post consumer textile product from waste stream each year. Between 1999 and 2009 the volume of post-consumer textile waste generated grew by 40%, while the diversion rate grew by only 4%

THANK YOU! The travels of your textile trash OHCE 2017 Mary Ruppert-Stroescu, Ph.D. Gina Peek, Ph.D.