How much clothing do you buy per year? How much do you throw away? What can you do instead? Here you get the answers.
Did you know that Swedes buy an average of 14 kilos of textiles per person every year? We throw about eight kilos of this straight down into the household rubbish. Together, we throw away no less than 72,000 tons of yearly textiles that will just be burned.
WHAT CAN YOU DO INSTEAD OF THROWING AWAY YOUR CLOTHES?
- Take care of the clothes you already have: follow the washing instructions and do not wash hotter than instructed. If needed, remove minor stains by hand. Never tumble dry your clothes, as fabric and paint will wear and tear during tumble drying.
- Sew: redesign your clothes so they are like new. If you can not sew, you may be able to ask someone or at least consider the option of handing in your clothes to a tailor. It can definitely be worth it.
- Swap: exchange and get something new for yourself. Your friend’s sweater might be just the new garment you want, and vice versa.
- Sell: Submit your clothes to stores that sell your old clothes, often on commission.
- Recycle: return your clothes to recycling centres or stores that provide such service.
