Recycling clothes, a way to help the environment
News Spain Direct
Young activists like Greta Thunberg or Vanessa Nakate are already the voices of a generation that wants a better life. His speeches of help have been heard at the international summit against climate change (COP26), which takes place in the Scottish city of Glasgow. From October 31, and until December 12, almost 200 countries meet to reach an agreement that improves the quality of the planet in which we live. Reducing carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels are some of the objectives proposed to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, released into the atmosphere by human activity, and which are causing so much damage. This is to achieve a healthier and more sustainable future.
Our gesture as inhabitants of the Earth also counts, every grain of sand that we put, no matter how small it may seem, is already a great advance. Recycling our waste is one of the best-known bets for a better planet. However, what many do not know is that recycling clothes is also possible. España Directo has traveled to Leganés to visit an authorized manager for this textile procedure.
Spain generates 110,000 textile waste per year
According to some estimates, a person throws away between 20 and 30 kilos of clothing annually, which could mean 92 million tons of textile waste worldwide. Most of it is not recovered, thus causing an excessive disposal of garments to claim new ones. This rate of consumption means that CO2 emissions are trillions of tons, a chilling and unsustainable figure for the Earth. But the data continues, and it is that in Spain alone 110,000 pieces of textile waste are collected annually, and only 10% reach the hands of an authorized manager such as Humana, which is in charge of giving a new life to those clothes that we so much need. re-use.
Give a new life to our wardrobe
The first thing we can do is not to “use and throw away” our own clothes. Although they are not seasonal, they are just as useful and beautiful, and if we are tired of them we can use them in another way. From some long pants, we take out some shorts, and from a short-sleeved T-shirt, we turn it into a tank top ideal for summer. There are thousands of videos online where they teach you tricks to get the best out of your wardrobe. And it is that reusing must be fashionable, as some famous ones already do.
The process of recycling clothes
And if finally none of these ideas convinces us and we bet on getting rid of those clothes, it is best to do it in a place where we know that someone else will be able to use it. Humana's green containers, which are at street level, collect garments from all over Spain. The vans take this content to warehouses, such as the one in Leganés, to proceed with recycling. Once there, the warehouse workers transport the merchandise in carts, up to 190 kilos of clothing each can contain, and leave it on the sorting table. There the workers check each garment and, the one that is worth to sell in the store, they keep it in some sacks. Those that are not showy to be in the store, keep them to be sent to the African continent. Finally, the broken or dirty ones are discarded. The way to send them to Africa is by sea, the transport that, according to the company, leaves the least carbon footprint and that allows these tons of merchandise to reach those populations.
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