Month: May 2023

Clothes Swaps – Why Swap?

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Globally, clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2015, while the average number of times clothes are worn fell by around one-third. We are producing and buying far more clothes than we need, and this has an impact on the environment.

Carbon Emissions

The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions. There are carbon emissions at every stage, from fibre and fabric production, cutting, sewing and finishing items to packaging, transport and sales. 

Recycling and Waste

Clothes are difficult to recycle, especially if they are made from multiple fabrics, so less than 1% of clothing is currently recycled into new garments. The vast majority of clothes are made from new materials, with synthetic fibres that are made from fossil fuels accounting for over 60% of clothing materials. According to WRAP, around 350,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to landfill annually in the UK, with synthetic fibres taking around 200 years to break down, releasing microplastics in the process.

Water Consumption and Pollution

The fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water globally. For instance, it takes up to 10,000 litres of water to produce one pair of jeans. Using so much water, the fashion industry is also responsible for around one-fifth of waste water globally and dyeing fabric is the second biggest contributor to water pollution in the world. 

Reduce and Reuse

The key is to buy fewer clothes and to choose second hand clothes when you can. Charity shops, car boot sales, local Facebook buy and sell groups, eBay and other online sales platforms are just some of the places to find preloved clothing. Swapping clothes with friends and family or taking part in an organised clothes swap is a low cost option to reuse clothing.

By swapping clothes, you can help reduce carbon emissions, conserve water and save clothes from landfill. You’ll also save yourself money and can update your wardrobe regularly. 

St Bees Clothes Swaps

St Bees Green Future runs quarterly clothes swaps at Adams Recreation Ground on Beach Road in St Bees. All clothes and accessories in good condition are welcome; just bring them along to the start of our events. Come along and enjoy a cuppa and chat while you browse. Look out for details of our clothes swaps via St Bees Parish News, village notice boards and Facebook.

Where Does My Recycling Go?

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What happens to the dental products, medicine blister packs, pens and soft plastics once you drop them off at the collection points in St Bees? It’s a good question, as there is concern over what happens to a lot of the plastic that is collected for recycling in the UK.

The first step of the journey is dropping the waste items off at the nearest official collector for each waste stream. No special journeys are made to do so though; the items are stored until a member of St Bees Green Future is going to Workington, Cockermouth or Carlisle. The official collectors then send them on to a material recovery facility run by either TerraCycle or Veolia.

TerraCycle offers free recycling programmes for items that aren’t collected by local councils; these tend to be mixed materials that are harder to recycle, such as toothpaste tubes, pens and snack packaging. The recycling schemes we take part in are free, as they are sponsored by manufacturers. Similarly, Superdrug has partnered with Veolia to recycle medicine blister packs.

The waste collected from TerraCycle’s schemes is sorted, washed and processed in the UK. Plastics are shredded, melted and turned into pellets, flakes or powder. These can then be used by manufacturers to produce containers, bins, watering cans, outdoor furniture, decking and surfaces, such as those you find on playgrounds. Metals are shredded and smelted into metal sheets and bars for further use.

The waste sent to Veolia’s facilities goes through a similar process and they guarantee 100% recycling after residues and contaminants are removed.