What happens to discarded clothing in Chile?

Discarded clothing ends up in clandestine landfills, posing environmental and health risks due to slow biodegradation.

How does textile waste impact Chile?

Textile waste in Chile is a longstanding issue exacerbated by fast fashion, leading to environmental and health risks.

Efforts include a law holding importers responsible for waste and limited resources for inspection and recycling.

Importers get second-hand clothing from Zofri and resell them at La Quebradilla fair.

Textile waste is repurposed into insulation panels by companies like Franklin Zepeda's.

The Atacama landscape in Chile receives thousands of tons of discarded clothing from the US and Europe annually, with 85% of unsold items ending up in clandestine landfills, creating environmental and health hazards due to slow polyester biodegradation.
Textile waste in Chile, fueled by fast fashion, is a significant problem, prompting legislative actions like holding importers accountable for waste and innovative recycling initiatives such as Franklin Zepeda's company repurposing textile waste into insulation panels, highlighting the multifaceted efforts to combat this issue.

What happens to discarded clothing in Chile?
Discarded clothing ends up in clandestine landfills, posing environmental and health risks due to slow biodegradation.
How does textile waste impact Chile?
Textile waste in Chile is a longstanding issue exacerbated by fast fashion, leading to environmental and health risks.
What are the efforts to address textile waste in Chile?
Efforts include a law holding importers responsible for waste and limited resources for inspection and recycling.
Where do importers get second-hand clothing in Chile?
Importers get second-hand clothing from Zofri and resell them at La Quebradilla fair.
How is textile waste repurposed in Chile?
Textile waste is repurposed into insulation panels by companies like Franklin Zepeda's.

00:00

In the Atacama landscape, thousands of tons of used clothing from the US and Europe are discarded, with 40,000 tons annually ending up in landfills in Alto Hospicio, Chile.
Second-hand clothing is sold legally in Chile, but 85% of unsold items end up in clandestine landfills, posing environmental and health risks due to the slow biodegradation of polyester.
Carmen García is one of many who buy clothes from Zofri importers and resell them at La Quebradilla fair, with unsold items often ending up in a clothing cemetery that takes 200 years to disintegrate.
Textile waste is a longstanding issue in Chile, exacerbated by the rise of fast fashion, with efforts to address the problem including a law holding clothing importers responsible for waste and limited resources for inspection and recycling, like Franklin Zepeda's company that repurposes textile waste into insulation panels.