Canadians are throwing away up to 500 million kilograms of clothing each year, a study from the University of Waterloo shows, but one expert says there are sustainable ways to get rid of clothing.
"We buy 60 per cent more clothes today than we did 20 years ago, and we keep them for half as long," said Kelly Drennan, founder of Fashion Takes Action, a non-profit organization advocating for sustainability. "So the fast fashion and overconsumption is what's fueling all of this clothing ending up in the landfill."
Speaking on CTV's Your Morning on Monday, Drennan gave some tips on how Canadians can donate clothing to ensure it does not end up in the landfill and how to repurpose old textiles.
"There's a lot of mixed messaging around donating our clothes," she said. "If you have a stain on it, or if there's a button missing, people think, 'Oh, no one's going to want to buy this. I can't donate it.'"
To ensure clothing is used to its full potential, Drennan said connecting with local shelters and charities to find out if it has the capabilities to sort textiles is important.
"It all depends on the infrastructure and the relationships that those charities or shelters have in terms of downstream partners," she said. "If they don't have the means to actually connect with a sorter, a grader or recycler then oftentimes that charity will just throw it into the garbage."
Prior to donating clothes, Drennan says asking yourself why you are donating will help you understand your personal relationship to fast fashion.
"Look at the condition that it's in, maybe you could actually wear it again for another season or two before you donate it," she said. "The second thing to think about is look within your community. …Do you have neighbours in the community, do you have family members that could use those clothes?"
To hear all of Drennan's tips on how to reduce fashion waste, watch the interview at the top of this article.
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