Alex Gonzalez, producer/reporter, Nevada News Service, a bureau of Public News Service.
Designers and stylists will showcase their “upcycled” garments as models hit the runway for what is dubbed a “trashion show” at the Waste EXPO in Las Vegas on Monday, May 5.
It is estimated the average American household spends around $1,500 a year on clothing.
Sonja Salmon, associate professor of textiles at North Carolina State University, said that if the items wear thin or go out of style, only a small fraction of them are recycled. She noted the industry is realizing more must be done to reuse materials.
“Textile fibers are really amazing materials,” Salmon pointed out. “We wear them, they’re on our bodies, they feel good, they make us happy. They’re also a resource. They have chemistry in them, they have materials in them that deserve to be recycled and reused.”
Textile waste in landfills
Salmon stressed that millions of tons of textile waste end up in U.S. landfills each year. It takes a long time to break down and is a lost opportunity for reuse. She added companies have started to incentivize buyback programs, a step in the right direction. The Waste EXPO is May 5-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Salmon emphasized that the Waste360 “trashion” runway would get people thinking differently about using fabrics. She explained that today’s clothes are primarily made of synthetic fibers like polyester and natural fibers like cotton. Blended pieces are good for durability and comfort, but are challenging to break down.
They have to be separated before recycling, so she pointed to the need for better collection and sorting technologies.
“So that large amounts of those materials can go to recycling processes,” Salmon added. “I’m actually excited because Goodwill, an organization that we associate with clothing donation, is actually starting to think about its own role in helping the recycling process, in terms of collection and sorting.”
Salmon encouraged shoppers to look to Goodwill and other thrift stores to purchase used clothing and participate in take-back programs to help sort materials for recycling. Consumers can also consider renting special-occasion clothing instead of buying.
