How to keep used and unwanted clothes out of landfill: tips to help you repair, recycle, repurpose, donate or resell them

Discarded clothing and textile waste have a huge environmental cost, ending up in landfills, adding to carbon emissions and microplastic pollution
Many people in Hong Kong and elsewhere are avid consumers of fast fashion. By following these tips, you can avoid making those problems worse

Fashion in Hong Kong and China

Chloe Henson

Published: 4:15pm, 29 Jan 2022

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Cleaning out the home is a good way to start the new year. And decluttering usually requires sorting through your closet to make space and clear out old attire.

It may be tempting to throw away unused items to make room for the latest trends in fast fashion. But the old clothes we toss and the new ones that replace them have an environmental cost.

According to a report from local non-profit Redress, Hong Kong produces more than 392 tonnes of textile waste a day, with clothing making up about half of that. A study from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, founded to promote a circular economy, estimates the textile industry globally emits about 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, and is on track to dispose of at least 22 million tonnes of microplastics into the ocean between 2015 and 2050.

Meanwhile, less than one per cent of textiles in Hong Kong is recycled, even though about 95 per cent of used clothing could be reused in some way.

The throwaway culture of fast fashion has a huge impact on the environment. Photo: Shutterstock

The Redress report also found that two out of five Hong Kong residents keep their clothes for less than a year and almost a third of the clothes they own rarely or never get worn.

As the environmental impact of fast fashion becomes more apparent, organisations in Hong Kong and abroad have been coming up with solutions. Here are some alternatives to sending more unwanted clothes to the landfill.

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Repair or redesign

A way to guarantee your clothes don’t end up in the landfill is to keep them. Instead of tossing out your worn outfits, try home repair – the internet is full of tips for sewing buttons back on or patching holes.

There are resources available around Hong Kong if you need help with clothes repair. One example is Wardrobe Awakening – a bespoke alteration service by Fashion Clinic, which specialises in redesign and upcycling clothes. The service is available at the Kapok store in St Francis Yard in Wan Chai until May.

Kapok x Fashion Clinic in Hong Kong offers a bespoke alteration service.

If you’re tired of a piece of clothing and want something different, consider creating a new look with it. Repeat outfits have been trending – fashion icons like Kate Middleton and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt are known to regularly show off previously worn items.

Donate

Why not give your unwanted outfits to people who need them more than you? Photo: Shutterstock

If you decide it’s time for the clothes to go, donating is better than disposing. Hong Kong has lots of charitable organisations that could use the supplies to provide for communities in the city, such as Refugee Union or ImpactHK.

Other options include supporting local consignment shops like the Green Ladies, that can incorporate the clothes into their stock. Redress has partnered with some big-name stores to set up boxes around the city, where you can drop off items to be reused or recycled.

Recycle

Depending on the condition of the clothes, you may want to take advantage of Hong Kong’s textile recycling resources. Some non-profit organisations allow you to drop your clothes off for collection. For example, Friends of the Earth works with the local government and other non-profits to set up boxes across the city to receive donations for sorting.

The clothing collection programme run by Redress also recycles clothes it receives that are at the end of their “wearing life”.

Be sure to clean the clothes before dropping them off, and make sure they qualify for the programme.

Resell

If your clothes are in good shape and you’re feeling ambitious, you can try to make a buck by reselling your old garments. While not as big as in the United States or Europe, reselling has been becoming more popular in Hong Kong in the past few years.

Online marketplaces like Facebook or Carousell can connect sellers to others in the city who are looking for bargains. Other sites also offer options: Vestiaire Collective facilitates resale for luxury items, while local platform Retykle helps parents sell maternity clothes or children’s items.

Repurpose

Finally, creative minds can repurpose clothes into accessories, household items, or other types of clothing. There are plenty of ideas that people have shared online – such as cutting up your clothes to create cleaning rags or baby bibs.

More ambitious ideas include using the fabric to make shopping bags or turning old T-shirts into quilts. Inspiration may strike if you check out the work of some Hong Kong artists. For instance, at a pop-up in Central in January, Hong Kong-based fashion brand Wear Earthero showcased the work of artists who upcycle old fabric into new fashion .