Think Thrice – Reduce, Repair, Reuse

2020 marks the second year of Metro Vancouver clothing waste reduction campaign, getting residents to “Think Thrice” about their waste by reducing, repairing, and donating their clothes. The average person tosses 44 t-shirts* worth of clothing in the garbage each year, while the majority of clothes can be re-used or recycled into new materials.

Reduce

We buy three times more clothes now than we did in the 80’s. Fast fashion and lower quality materials have led to more clothing waste. Instead, choose higher quality wardrobe staples when buying new, shop second-hand for hidden gems, and look at borrowing clothes or renting for black-tie events. There are many ways to reduce clothing waste.

Repair

A little care and repair will go a long way to extend the life of your clothes. Washing on gentle cycles and hanging to dry are great ways of preserving your clothes quality. Got a stubborn stain from lunchtime? There are several homemade remedies that can help you get rid of almost any stain. Hole in your pants or lose a button? A needle and thread (plus an educational video or two) can solve most of your problems.

Donate

Are your socks starting to wear thin or is your shirt missing a button? Don’t have time to repair your clothes? Never fear, donation is there to save them. Clean and dry clothing in any condition can be donated, even if it has holes! Clothes unfit for resale are forwarded into the global clothing re-use market where they can be repurposed in other countries and recycled into wiper rags or insulation. Unfortunately, heavily soiled and paint or oil-stained clothing should be disposed as garbage. Find a donation option that works for you and see what happens to your donated clothes.

Think thrice about your clothes and help keep them out of the garbage – clothesarentgarbage.ca.