Myths and Facts Surrounding Textile Recycling

July 25, 2024 (webinar)

In this webinar, Helpsy Chief of Staff Lisa Sciannella sets the record straight on the problem that is textile waste.

She dispelled common misconceptions about used clothing and showcased solutions in action Helpsy has developed in partnerships with Baltimore County, City of Baltimore, Frederick County and Montgomery County to continue to divert textiles from Maryland's waste stream.

Listen in below and click here for copy of the slide deck.

*This is a FREE webinar brought to you by Maryland Recycling Network. Have a topic you'd like to share or hear about? Email us.

**Want to be part of the solution? Support MRN by joining today!

Some facts about textile waste:

➡ In the US, we discard 104 lbs textiles per person per year (EPA, 2018)
➡ Per capita, textile waste grew 55% between 2000 and 2018 (NIST, 2021)
➡ Textile production reached ~100 MM metric tons in 2020, ~2x in last 20 years (Niinimaki, 2020)
➡ More than half fast fashion produced is disposed of in under 1 year (RRS, 2020)
➡ 85% ends up in municipal waste stream (EPA, 2018)


Want to learn more? Check out these resources.

Links to Papers:

Facilitating a Circular Economy for Textiles Workshop Report - Schumacher, Forster 2022

Textile Recovery in the US: A Roadmap to Circularity - Adler, 2020

Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: EPA 2018 Fact Sheet

Fashion For Good Sorting for Circularity USA, May 2024

Noriun Consult EuRIC TExtiles (Jan 2023) - LCA-based assessment of the management of European-used textiles


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