Rockford businesses focus on decreasing fashion waste in landfills

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Americans throw away more than 17 million tons of clothing each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and environmental scientists warn the growing piles of clothing are too much for the environment to handle.

Here in Rockford, local businesses and nonprofits are finding ways to turn old clothing into new opportunities instead of letting it end up in the trash.

“The fast fashion industry is the second dirtiest industry in the world,” said Serene Alsharif, CEO and owner of Tad More Tailoring and Alterations. “Most people only wear their clothes seven times before they discard them.”

Alsharif says the average American throws away 80 pounds of reusable textiles every year.

“Collectively in the United States, we’re putting about the size of the Empire State Building into the earth,” said Alsharif. “According to the U.N., every second, a garbage-truck size of clothing is either being put into a landfill or it’s being burnt.”

Alsharif warns the pressure is hitting close to home.

“Locally, we have the landfill. It’s supposed to have enough space for the next 30 years. Unfortunately, they don’t even think it’s going to have enough for the next 10 years,” said Alsharif.

Goodwill Northern Illinois Vice President of Retail Craig Steege says just last year, Goodwill kept over 19 million pounds of clothing out of local landfills.

“When you donate, even if it’s something you don’t think we can sell on the sales floor, donate it, because then we can recycle it and we can use it on that salvage market,” Steege said.

Steege says the nonprofit is also seeing a shift in how people shop.

“We’re seeing a change. We’re seeing, I think, individuals that are finding ways to change their wardrobe through secondhand retail. It’s a way instead of using fast fashion, you can take something that somebody else, maybe got rid of that, you can now put your own look to it,” said Steege.

Local business owners say small choices like tailoring, donating or even swapping clothes can help chip away at the problem.

“There is enough clothing on this earth right now to clothe the next six generations,” Alsharif said.

Alsharif says people have to care for what they already have, mend it, reuse it and give it a longer life.

That’s the idea behind a Fall Clothing Swap hosted by Tad More Tailoring and Petal Creative.

“You don’t have to buy something new to have something new to you. You can refresh your wardrobe, you can feel good about how you look by getting something that is already in someone else’s closet,” said Rebecca Beneditz, owner of Petal Creative.

Tad More Tailoring and Alterations will team up with Petal Creative for a fall clothing swap from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6. Organizers say the event is a take only and no clothing donations will be accepted.

Alsharif and Beneditz hope events like this encourage people to look at their closets differently.

“I dream for a world where people consider secondhand, where they consider altering and mending, and they continue to love the clothes that they already have,” Alsharif said.

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