Donal Hickey: Fast fashion — threadbare excuses for toxic textile waste

And, given the way clothes are discarded nowadays — in this post-‘hand-me-down’ era — the amount of stuff dumped is likely to grow. Behind the world of glamour and ever-changing fashions waste piles up.

We have about 170,000 tonnes of used textiles to dispose of annually, around 35kg per person compared to the EU average of 26kg, says the EPA. Most of it ends up in the household bin mixed with other waste.

In an era of relatively cheap clothing and bringing style to the masses, easy online sales and charity shops, people buy and get of rid of clothes quickly. We dump two-thirds of textile waste and the remainder is either reused, or made into single-use or unrecyclable goods, all of which eventually goes to landfill, or incineration.

But, things are changing. The  EU waste directive is mandating member states to have separate collection systems for used textiles from next year. Another household bin needed!

What’s more, textiles producers are to be made responsible for the full life cycle of their products, the latest report from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) points out.

When compared with facilities for disposing of used electrical goods, glass and packaging, efforts to recycle textiles haven’t really got going yet — separating discarded shoes, clothes and the likes from other home waste. EPA reports have been highlighting the need for this.

Many EU member states already have separate collection systems, but mostly to capture reusable textiles. The EEA report warns that, besides separate collection, sorting and recycling facilities need to be upscaled to ensure collected textiles do not end up in incinerators and landfills, or are exported to regions outside the EU.

Recycling synthetic textiles is not a simple task, however, as it involves varied scientific processes. Dr Martin Sharkey, School of Natural Sciences, University College Galway, says that in Ireland’s case all textiles which could be meaningfully recycled are exported for treatment.

However, research indicates that less than 1% of textiles are currently recycled in any meaningful way. On the RTÉ Brainstorm platform for research and debate, Dr Sharkey says Ireland could lead on research into textile recycling.

“But this is only one aspect of the problem,” he notes. “The much bigger issues are the rapid fashion cycles creating a climate for cheap clothing to be bought, worn once and replaced immediately thereafter.”

Kilo sales are one way to reduce fashion waste — buy vintage and pre-owned fashion by weight

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