America Recycles Day will be held throughout the US on November 15. Various events will be held in schools, workplaces and communities to raise awareness about recycling as well as collect millions of pounds of materials that would otherwise clog the country’s landfills. Recycling clothing is a concern that is growing throughout the industry.

Almost 85 per cent of America’s used clothes go to landfills. Just 15 per cent are recycled or donated. Of the clothes that are recycled, 45 per cent go to secondhand clothing stores, 30 per cent are cut down and used as rags, and 20 per cent are ground down and reprocessed (five per cent is considered unusable).

Need for apparel recycling has grown along with Americans’ appetite for trendy clothes. Textile waste increased 38 per cent between 2000 and 2011—more than three times the overall waste volumes for all materials. The production, use and disposal of more than 19 billion garments per year is causing significant environmental and health problems.

The story of high environmental footprint and enormous end-of- life landfill consequences in apparel is gaining traction with the growing group of consumers that are aware of the need to transition to sustainable development models.