The average American throws away 67 pounds of clothing per year. Multiply that by roughly 301 million people and we’re adding roughly 20 billion pounds of clothing to landfills yearly. If we implement the 3 R’s we just might be able to minimize the impact of textiles on landfills. 

 

Start by reducing. Most of us have far more clothing and shoes than we could ever wear, but we continuously purchase more. Fight the inherent need to accumulate and ask yourself…’What do I need?’ Then make a concerted effort to not buy more than you need. It’s okay to replace items as they wear out, but the ‘shop til you drop’ days are over.

 

            Reduce also means get rid of the excess. This is where reuse comes into play. You’ve pared your jean collection down from 30 pair to 7 and you’re not sure what to do with the extra. You can actually start in your own neighborhood by finding a local family who needs the clothing, or even pass it down to someone in your family. Every city has shelters that are constantly in need of extra clothing. Check your phone book for homeless shelters and women’s shelters. Some churches also accept lightly used clothing, as do most charities. The larger national charities, like Salvation Army and Goodwill, will accept really worn clothing. They sell it as scraps to a third party, who in turn sells it as scrap rags for automotive stores.  

 

            In recent years several great web sites have created venues for reusing old clothing. You can opt to sell it on ebay or trade with other members of www.rehashclothes.com. The site is divided by location as well as category, so you can search for members in your own community. Www.craigslist.com is also available in almost every major city, and www.freecycle.com has become hugely popular for passing on unwanted items. 

 

            The final option is to recycle or repurpose those unwanted items. Again, the internet is an invaluable resource for finding ideas and inspiration. WWW.Threadbanger.com offers imaginative ideas for repurposing almost any household item you can think of. They have informational videos, self-help tutorials, a blog, and a member’s forum for discussing ideas. If you’re the least bit crafty, you can follow a tutorial and make all manner of things. You could turn jeans into a patchwork quilt for picnics in the park, iron shopping bags onto your favorite t-shirt to make a real statement, turn t-shirts into panties, and convert just about anything into a purse. 

 

            As a society, we’ve constantly forged ahead with this misguided notion that more is better. It’s taken us years to comprehend that more is simply more, but now that we have, we have to act on it. There’s a limitless supply of inspiration to be had on line, and a real feeling of achievement when you’ve taken control of your spending habits and used what you have to either help your community or make something entirely new.