Garbage dumps in the Atacama Desert, in Chile, have been turned into warehouses for clothing from the United States, Europe, and Asia. An estimated 39 million tons of clothing are discarded in the desert every year; this is roughly equivalent to the weight of 6,500 African elephants.

The process until clothes arrive at the dump generally works as follows: people from Chile buy articles of clothing that are no longer worn in countries abroad. They sell these items in Chile and other Latin American countries. What happens, however, is that these clothes often do not last long due to their poor quality, and they get ruined quickly. This is called fast fashion; find out more in the box below. Thus, these clothes get thrown away, which means that in many cases they are discarded in Atacama.

The dumped clothes cause various environmental problems. Among the main issues is the fact that clothes take up to 200 years to decompose (disappear in nature). During this process, they release substances that pollute the air and the underground rivers in the desert.

Fast Fashion

Brands produce a high number of cheap clothes of poor quality, which causes them to be thrown away quickly. Because the production of clothing is very large, improper disposal also ends up being huge – which makes dumpsters fill up with these items. Experts recommend that people avoid discarding clothing and that they donate them to a charity or take them to a recycling facility instead.

Impact of fashion on the environment

– Clothing and shoe production generates 8% of all greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

– The fashion industry is responsible for 20% ​​of the world’s wasted water.

Questions
1) How long can a garment take to decompose?
a) 300 years
b) 250 years
c) 100 years
d) 200 years

2) How do you usually dispose of your clothes?

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