Did you know the average American throws away 82 pounds of textile waste every year? Join our free Conscious Closets webinar on Wednesday, February 8th from 5 to 6 p.m. to learn how to make your closet more sustainable!
You will learn about all things sustainable fashion, including:
Textile recycling and upcycling ideas – including a demo of how to turn an old t-shirt into a reusable bag!
Low waste laundry routines
The environmental impacts of fast fashion
How to mindfully clean out your closet
Thrift shopping tips and local secondhand store recommendations
The environmental impacts of fast fashion
Register to receive the link to the live webinar. Participants that cannot attend are encouraged to register to receive a recording of the webinar and additional resources. Thank you to the City of San Diego Environmental Services Department for sponsoring this event.
According to the County of San Diego, Americans generated 32 billion pounds of textile discards in 2015. Textiles make up around 6% of all municipal solid waste generated in the U.S. Tossing textiles in the trash unnecessarily fills our local landfills and wastes the resources that went into making them including vast amounts of water, energy, land and other resources.
What is a textile? Textiles can be items of clothing, homegoods, or fabrics that are made from woven material or fibers.
1. REDUCE – Become a minimalist
Reduce your consumption of textiles, new clothes, and accessories by reducing what you purchase! The less we purchase the less we have to manage as waste at the end of that product’s useful life. Read more about the benefits of becoming a minimalist here
Did your favorite shirt loose a button? Consider learning how to sew a button back onto that top rather than buying a new piece of clothing to replace it
Not sure how to mend, sew, or repair textiles? Visit one of I Love a Clean San Diego’s upcoming FIX-IT! Repair & Reuse Workshops
Consider attending one of I Love a Clean San Diego’s upcoming Swap Parties to swap gently used clothing items and accessories with fellow community members
4. RECYCLE – Donating can lead to recycling
Turn all your hangers in your closet backwards. When you wear something, turn the hanger the correct way. After a year, if anything is still hanging backwards, donate it. Donate to a local organization and support a cause; search “Textiles/Clothing” on WasteFreeSD.org for locations
If your item of clothing is unusable, consider sending them to a textile-recycling program
Check out this donation bin field guide to learn the difference between a donation bin versus a for-profit bin
Some retailers will recycle for you H&M, Patagonia, Nike, Madewell, The North Face, Levi’s + more!
Visit WasteFreeSD.org to learn more about reduce, reuse, recycling centers, events, and resources in your area.
Did you know the average American throws away 82 pounds of textile waste every year?
Join I Love A Clean San Diego from 10 – 11 AM on Saturday, May 21, for our free Conscious Closets webinar in partnership with the City of San Diego Environmental Services Department. Come learn about textile recycling, the environmental impacts of fast fashion, and how to mindfully clean out your closet. We’ll also share tips on shopping secondhand, repairing clothing items, and creating a low waste laundry routine. Please register to receive the Zoom link.
Thank you to the City of San Diego for sponsoring this event!
Today’s blog comes from our Hotline Assistant, Ani! As our Hotline Assistant, she is always on the hunt for great recycling resources to recommend to hotline callers as well as those who use our database, www.WasteFreeSD.org. Recently, she took a tour of Goodwill’s different locations to see exactly what the life of a donated item looks like. What if no one buys it? Where does it go? At the end of the tour, Ani was surprised to learn about all the different initiatives that Goodwill is taking to benefit the environment and keep items out of our landfills. Read on – we bet you’ll learn something new!
I had the great pleasure of going on a Goodwill Tour alongside city officials from Escondido, Oceanside, Poway, and Encinitas. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Goodwill goes above and beyond to find every donated item a home!
My portion of the tour started at a local retail store where I witnessed Goodwill employees receiving donations on the back-end of the store. I saw how they carefully cleaned and priced items, this location alone receives donations from up to 150 donors a day! If you are looking to donate some unwanted items, find a Goodwill or second-hand store near you by searching our database, www.WasteFreeSD.org!
Forget what you know about Goodwill – check out the Clairemont Retail Store’s trendy boutique style display!
I also learned about the rotation process. If an item does not get sold, it is relocated to another store in hopes that a special someone will notice its uniqueness and purchase it.
Our next stop was the Kearny Mesa Bookstore, a new location centered in a lively shopping center next to coffee shops and restaurants. There I learned that books are organized by genre and author to offer customers a better experience when browsing.
Check out their E-business Warehouse and much more online!
The last 2 stops are where I learned just how dedicated Goodwill Industries is to diverting waste from the landfill. At their E-Business Warehouse donations are maximized by increasing their value online. Customers can browse through over 22,000 items listed online and bid on unique, lightly used items.
The last stop of the tour is a spot where donated items end up if they are not sold in any of their stores and are auctioned off in bulk. If not auctioned after several attempts, Goodwill AfterMarket separates the items, then recycles ALL donation items.
Do you have items that are well past their prime and can’t be used it their current state? Our database also has plenty of recyclingresources for odd items including shoes, clothing, and more!
Goodwill will take your single shoes and recycle them! Find a location near you at www.WasteFreeSD.org
It truly was an informative tour! Waste diversion is possible and Goodwill is contributing to San Diego’s zero waste plans in an immense way. Thanks for the great tour, Goodwill!
Our knowledgeable tour guide (far right) along with all the tour attendees including city officials from Escondido, Oceanside, Poway and Encinitas!
Do you have items at your home or office that are in need of a new home or perhaps need just a little T.L.C? Check out our online recycling and repair databases, WasteFreeSD.org and RepairSD.org, to find landfill alternatives near you!
Today’s blog comes from our Hotline Assistant, Ani! As our Hotline Assistant, she is always on the hunt for great recycling resources to recommend to hotline callers as well as those who use our database, 
