What do the clothing donation terminals hide?

Clothing Donation Terminals: Benefits and Impacts on Our Planet

In a society where the consumption of clothing is constantly growing, the question of sustainability and waste has become crucial. Clothing donation kiosks are emerging as a response to this challenge, offering individuals an opportunity to dispose of unused clothing while contributing to social causes. However, as with any innovation, it is important to carefully weigh the pros and cons . In this article, we will examine the benefits and impacts of clothing donation terminals on our planet.

The Benefits of Clothing Donation Terminals

- Reduced Waste : Clothing donation kiosks offer a convenient solution to prevent unused clothing from ending up in the trash. Rather than throwing away clothes that could still be worn by others, people can deposit them in these terminals, thus helping to reduce waste.
- Support for Social Causes : The clothes collected through these terminals are often intended for charities or people in need. Clothing donations can help clothe people in need, support refugees or fund social projects, thereby creating a positive impact in society.
- Resource saving : The production of new clothes requires natural resources such as water, energy and raw materials. By donating existing garments, we indirectly reduce the demand for new manufacturing, thus contributing to the conservation of resources.

EXCEPT THAT ...

In France, out of 30 dumpsters , only one , chosen at random, is given to the Red Cross, the rest is sold to a large textile group for the benefit of the association.

Among the clothes sold:
3% are reused in France ,
10% is burned and used to heat homes,
33% is recycled into insulation for homes and
54% are exported (more than half)!

A large part of these exports end up in Ghana , where there are several large second-hand clothing markets. A lot of clothes from developed countries can be found here. For example, the city of Kantamanto receives 15 million garments every week , while the whole country has 30 million inhabitants . 4.5 million of these clothes go directly to landfills because of their poor quality.

This poses big pollution problems as they end up in the open air, as the government cannot afford to transport everything to landfills or recycle these clothes effectively. With the wind, they will flow into the rivers and then the ocean...

Again, it's the world of fast fashion that causes so much waste. Even when it comes to donating clothes, profitability is at the heart of everything under the guise of good intentions, and that doesn't motivate people to donate…

Despite everything, there are solutions: donate directly to the shops of associations (La Croix Rouge, Emmaüs, etc.), and above all buy less to consume better, favoring QUALITY over QUANTITY!
To discover this way of consuming, I invite you to read this article ( How to adopt slow fashion? )?