Clothing Landfill Statistics

92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced globally every year [1]

A garbage truck’s worth of textiles is landfilled or burned every second [2]

The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second [3]

Europe generates 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste per year [4]

Clothing and footwear consumption in the EU generated 5.2 million tonnes of waste in 2020 [5]

This equals 12 kilograms of waste per person from clothing and footwear consumption in the EU in 2020 [5]

Every European consumes almost 26 kilograms of textiles and discards about 11 kilograms of textiles each year [4]

In 2020, the EU generated 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste [6]

Between 2016 and 2020, consumption of textiles in the EU increased from 17 kilograms to 19 kilograms per person [6]

Since 2000, global clothing production has roughly doubled [7]

The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by 36% compared with 15 years ago [2]

More than half of fast fashion is disposed of in under a year [1]

UK citizens buy more than 2 million tonnes of clothing each year [8]

Australians buy an average of 56 new clothing items a year [9]

Between 2019 and 2020, 7.7 million tonnes of clothing were sent to landfills globally [10]

In 2017, 1.7 million tonnes of post-consumer textile waste were generated in Europe [11]

In the EU, textile consumption ranked fifth highest for primary raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 [5]

In the EU, textile consumption ranked third highest for water and land use in 2020 [5]

In 2020, EU household expenditure on clothing and footwear was €357 billion [5]

In 2022, the average EU citizen bought 19 kilograms of clothing, footwear and household textiles [4]

In 2022, the average EU citizen threw away 16 kilograms of textiles [4]

In 2023, consumers in the EU bought 6.94 million tonnes of new clothing, footwear and household textiles [4]

Textile waste in the EU increased from 6.95 million tonnes in 2019 to 7.22 million tonnes in 2022 [4]

The average Australian buys 56 clothing items a year [12]

Australia’s clothing consumption increased by almost 60% from 27 kilograms per person in 2000 to 39 kilograms per person in 2017 [12]

Australians buy 373,000 tonnes of new clothing every year [12]

More than 1,500 litres of water are needed to produce one pair of jeans [3]

Producing a cotton shirt requires 2,700 litres of water [3]

The fashion industry is responsible for 2-8% of global carbon emissions [3]

The fashion industry accounts for around 9% of annual microplastic losses to the ocean [3]

The textile value chain uses 215 trillion litres of water per year [13]

The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater [13]

The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions [13]

Washing clothes releases 500,000 tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year [13]

35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from washing synthetic textiles [14]

6.4 million tonnes of clothing are discarded in the EU each year [15]

8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the fashion industry [16]

Global apparel consumption is expected to rise by 63% by 2030 [16]

The fashion industry consumes 93 billion cubic metres of water annually [16]

53 million tonnes of fibre are produced for clothing annually worldwide [16]

The average person buys 60% more clothing items than 15 years ago [16]

10% of global carbon emissions stem from the fashion industry [16]

57% of discarded clothing ends up in landfill [17]

10% of discarded clothing is incinerated [17]

In Massachusetts, approximately 25% of the waste stream is clean textiles [18]

Since November 1, 2022, textiles make up about 10% of trash disposed statewide in Massachusetts [19]

Of all post-consumer textile waste in Europe, 87% is incinerated or landfilled [4]

An estimated £140 million worth of clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year [8]

About 350,000 tonnes of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year [8]

In Australia, 200,000 tonnes of clothing end up in landfill each year [9]

Australians discard an average of 23 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year [9]

In Toronto, 85% of textiles still end up in landfill [20]

In New Zealand, 220,000 tonnes of textile waste go to landfill every year [21]

New Zealanders send around 44 kilograms of textiles per person to landfill each year [21]

In Chile’s Atacama Desert, nearly 39,000 tonnes of textiles are dumped every year [22]

73% of clothing ends up in landfill or incinerated globally [13]

The remaining 11.6 kilograms of textiles per EU person in 2022 ended up in mixed household waste [4]

In 2021, textiles made up 6% of household waste in New South Wales [12]

Australians send 23 kilograms of clothing waste to landfill per person each year [12]

More than 200,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in Australian landfill each year [12]

In Queensland, 27 kilograms of textiles per person are sent to landfill each year [23]

In Queensland, about 104,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill each year [23]

In New Zealand, textile waste is estimated at 220,000 tonnes per year [24]

In New Zealand, this is equivalent to 44 kilograms per person per year [24]

Around 350,000 tonnes of used clothing go to landfill in the UK every year [25]

More than £140 million worth of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year [25]

Around 300,000 tonnes of clothing end up in UK household bins every year [15]

In the UK, around 4% of collected used clothing is sent to landfill or incineration [15]

In the UK, 336,000 tonnes of unwanted clothing are thrown away every year [10]

The equivalent of one rubbish truck full of clothes is dumped in landfill every second [16]

87% of total fibre input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or landfilled [16]

A synthetic garment can take up to 200 years to decompose [16]

Vermont’s ban on clothing disposal in trash took effect on July 1, 2024 [26]

California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act was signed into law in 2024 [27]

California’s textile EPR program will be fully implemented by 2030 [27]

France introduced an extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles in 2007 [28]

The Netherlands set a target for 50% circular textiles by 2030 [29]

The Netherlands aims for 100% circular textiles by 2050 [29]

Textile collection for reuse and recycling in the EU is mandatory by 1 January 2025 [30]

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles was adopted in 2022 [30]

France’s anti-waste law banned destruction of unsold non-food goods in 2022 [31]

Sweden reduced VAT on repairs of bicycles, shoes, leather goods, clothes and household linen from 25% to 12% [32]

Sweden introduced a tax deduction equal to half the labour cost for repairs of certain goods in 2017 [32]

The EU Waste Framework Directive requires separate collection of textiles by 2025 [11]

About 80% of the environmental impact of a product is determined at the design phase [30]

Separate collection of bio-waste became mandatory in the EU by the end of 2023 [33]

By 2030, textile products placed on the EU market should be long-lived and recyclable [30]

By 2030, textile products placed on the EU market should contain to a great extent recycled fibres [30]

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing [2]

8% of discarded clothing is recycled [17]

In 2018, 2.5 million tons of textiles were recycled in the United States [34]

In 2018, the textile recycling rate in the United States was 14.7% [34]

In 2017, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 15.2% [35]

In 2015, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 14.2% [35]

In 1960, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 0% [35]

More than 95% of used textiles can be recycled or reused [36]

Only 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes in Europe [4]

Nearly 100% of textiles and clothing are recyclable [37]

Around 2.5 billion pounds of post-consumer textiles are recycled in the United States annually [37]

The textile recycling industry removes approximately 3.2 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually [37]

The textile recycling industry creates 17,000 jobs in the United States [37]

The secondary materials and recycled textiles industry creates $3.6 billion in annual revenue in the United States [37]

95% of textiles can be reused or recycled [38]

95% of clothes, shoes, and household textiles can be reused or recycled [39]

Approximately 95% of textiles and clothing can be reused or recycled [40]

In California, 95% of textiles can be reused or recycled [27]

More than 95% of textiles can be reused or recycled [41]

Approximately 95% of clothing and household textiles can be reused or recycled [42]

Around 95% of worn and torn textiles can be reused or recycled [43]

More than 95% of unwanted clothing can be reused or recycled [20]

In Europe, 14% of separately collected textiles are downcycled into lower-value applications [11]

In the EU, 12% of material used for clothing and shoes came from recycled sources in 2023 [4]

Less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products [11]

In 2000, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 14.7% [35]

In 1990, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 2.1% [35]

In 1980, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 0.5% [35]

In 1970, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 0.3% [35]

95% of textiles can be recycled or reused instead of going to landfill [44]

Approximately 95% of textiles and apparel can be reused or recycled [45]

Up to 95% of discarded textiles can be recycled or repurposed [23]

Less than 1% of clothing is recycled back into clothing [15]

Around 4% of collected used clothing in the UK is recycled into wipers, insulation or stuffing [15]

25% of discarded clothing is reused [17]

In 2020, only 4.4 kilograms per person of textiles were separately collected in the EU [6]

In 2020, 38% of textile waste was separately collected in the EU [6]

In 2019, 1.3 million tonnes of used textiles were exported from the EU [6]

Extending active use of clothes by 9 months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20-30% each [8]

In 2017, only 38% of textile waste was separately collected in Europe [11]

Of separately collected textiles in Europe, 74% are reused or recycled [11]

In Europe, 10% of donated clothes are sold in the same country where they were collected [11]

In Europe, 62% of separately collected textiles are exported [11]

In Europe, 10% of separately collected textiles are lost during collection and sorting [11]

Of the 16 kilograms of textiles discarded per EU person in 2022, 4.4 kilograms were separately collected for reuse and recycling [4]

Extending the life of clothes by just 9 extra months can reduce related carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% [25]

The average UK adult has £30 worth of unworn clothes in their wardrobe [25]

Around 30% of clothes in the average wardrobe have not been worn for at least a year [25]

UK households own an estimated £30 billion worth of unworn clothes [25]

In the UK, 650,000 tonnes of used clothing are collected annually for sorting [15]

Approximately 70% of collected used clothing in the UK is exported [15]

Around 26% of collected used clothing in the UK is sold in the domestic second-hand market [15]

Consumers on average keep clothes for 2.2 years before discarding them [10]

The number of times a garment is worn has declined by 36% compared to 15 years ago [16]

In 2018, 17 million tons of textile municipal solid waste were generated in the United States [34]

In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [34]

In 2018, the textile landfilling rate in the United States was 66.5% [34]

In 2018, 2.5 million tons of textiles were combusted with energy recovery in the United States [34]

Americans throw away more than 34 billion pounds of used textiles each year [46]

The average U.S. resident throws away 81.5 pounds of clothing per year [46]

The average American discards 81.5 pounds of clothes per year [47]

85% of all textiles in the United States end up in landfills or are incinerated [47]

11.3 million tons of textile waste ended up in U.S. landfills in 2018 [47]

In 2017, 16.9 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 2017, 11.2 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 2015, 16 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 2015, 10.5 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 2010, 13.1 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 2010, 9.2 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 1960, 1.76 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 1960, 1.71 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In New York City, more than 200,000 tons of clothing, shoes, bags, belts, and other textiles are discarded every year [36]

In Massachusetts, residents discard about 230,000 tons of textiles each year [18]

About 85% of all textiles are thrown away each year in the United States [37]

The average U.S. citizen throws away 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles annually [37]

More than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States [37]

New York State residents and businesses throw away more than 1 billion pounds of textiles each year [38]

North Carolina landfills receive 170 million pounds of textile waste each year [39]

The average person in North Carolina throws away 70 pounds of clothing, textiles, and shoes each year [39]

In Connecticut, 206,000 tons of textiles are disposed each year [40]

In California, 1.2 million tons of textiles are sent to landfill every year [27]

In King County, Washington, residents and businesses throw away over 37,000 tons of textiles each year [41]

In Seattle, residents send 9,700 tons of clothing and household textiles to the landfill each year [48]

In Oregon, over 70,000 tons of clothing and household textiles are discarded annually [42]

In Denver, the average resident throws away 81 pounds of clothing and textiles each year [43]

In 2018, 17 million tons of textile waste represented 5.8% of U.S. municipal solid waste generation [34]

In 2018, 11.3 million tons of landfilled textiles represented 7.7% of total U.S. landfilled municipal solid waste [34]

In 2018, 2.5 million tons of combusted textiles represented 7.7% of total U.S. combusted municipal solid waste [34]

In 2017, 16.9 million tons of textiles represented 6.1% of total U.S. municipal solid waste generation [35]

In 2015, 16 million tons of textiles represented 6.1% of total U.S. municipal solid waste generation [35]

In 2010, 13.1 million tons of textiles represented 5.3% of total U.S. municipal solid waste generation [35]

In 2000, 9.61 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 2000, 6.67 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 1990, 8.21 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 1990, 7.14 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 1980, 5.01 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 1980, 4.90 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 1970, 2.35 million tons of textile waste were generated in the United States [35]

In 1970, 2.31 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States [35]

In 2021, San Francisco residents disposed of about 4,500 tons of textiles [44]

In Los Angeles County, about 300,000 tons of textiles are disposed annually [45]