The eco-friendly and zero waste movement has been gathering considerable steam in the last few years and recycling along with it. This is something to be happy about – the more we take care of our planet, the better the quality of life will become.
Recycling clothes is one of the most popular topics when it comes to the eco-friendly movement since a lion’s share of all waste comes from textiles when it need not be.
The average American throws away an estimated 70lbs of clothes annually, which results in around 5% of all landfills.
This is not empty plastic bottles and old tires we’re talking about, but perfectly reusable items that could serve someone for a long time to come. Yet, they ended up contributing to the mountains of waste.
So it’s pretty understandable why the emphasis on clothes has become so big when it comes to recycling: while textile waste might not be the most damaging part of American consumerism gone wild, it’s still pretty big – and it’s easier to get under control than plastic bottles and burger wrappers.
Funnily enough, when talking about textile recycling, underwear doesn’t often come into the conversation: t-shirts, jeans, shoes do, but not underwear.
May it be that we’re still too shy to talk about it?
But we need to: underwear, after all, is one of those items that we buy often, and throw away faster than need be. And that’s part of the problem.
Here's how to recycle underwear.
First Things First
Before you start thinking about recycling, you should think about how much of a conscious consumer you are.
How do you choose what to buy? Before purchasing new items, remember that the biggest step you can make towards helping the planet is reducing your waste. Be mindful when using your items – getting bored of something isn’t a good enough reason to throw it out and buy something new.
On the other hand, when it is time to buy something new – make sure you’re buying something that is..
- Eco-friendly and sustainable
- Going to last a good amount of time
But, of course, everything comes to an end, and a time will inevitably come when you’re going to have to get rid of your old underwear. So what do you do then?
Top 4 Ways to Recycle Old Underwear
1. Donate (or Resell)
While not exactly recycling, strictly speaking, this is probably the best way to get rid of your underwear – especially if you haven’t used it all that often. This happens more often than you think: it doesn’t fit right, or it doesn’t look good under some of your clothing, or you simply get bored with it.
Many think donating or reselling underwear is somewhat shameful. But as long as the underwear in question is clean, whole, and hasn’t been used all that often – there’s nothing for you to feel shame about.
Selling your old underwear online can also be a great way to earn some extra cash!
After all, we’re talking about the most essential clothing item everybody needs – and people don’t often have money to get (or at the very least get full-price).
Note: if you do donate, make sure to donate to a non-profit or a homeless shelter that can back its credentials up. Read our guide to donating underwear for more information.
And remember – this is not a way to get rid of the old and ratty underwear you’re unable to use anymore. There are other ways to get rid of those ones.
2. Composting
This only goes for underwear that is made of natural fibers, so if your undies contain traces of polyester – you should skip to the next step.
But if it is 100% cotton or linen or hemp we’re talking about? Composting is just about as eco-friendly as you can get.
Cut the underwear into thin strips and dump them in your garden or compost heap. There are plenty of manuals online to teach you the best ways of doing it.
3. Reuse and Upcycle
The greatest thing about underwear is that it’s so often made of soft elastic fabric. No, seriously. This makes it considerably easier to find ways to reuse old underwear than with plenty of other items.
The most common: use it as rags.
Seriously. This is what my grandma used to do – she cut the old underwear into squares or rectangles and used the fabric as cleaning rags or washcloths.
And while grandma’s habit of reusing not only underwear but anything and everything she could get her hands on came from her poor soviet background, it doesn’t make this solution any less valid.
After all, have you ever paid any attention to how much paper you’re wasting in the kitchen?
Another way of reusing old underwear is to make some new items - like pet toys. After all, your pooch is unlikely to care that their new toy used to be underwear once upon a time. As long as you’ll give them something new to get their teeth into, they’ll be grateful.
Here's a video with 20 underwear hacks to recycle your undies:
4. Go to a Textile Recycling Center/Drop-off Point
It may sound like the most obvious solution out there, but I’d still advise you to try going with one of the abovementioned solutions before trying this one.
Mostly because, unfortunately, there’s a high chance that what you donate might not end up recycled at all. According to GQ, even the little was Americans try to recycle (less than 10% of yearly 35 million tons of waste) often ends up dumped in poor countries instead of being recycled.
This is not to discourage you, but to let you know that simply dumping your waste – including old underwear – at the first stop is not the right solution. Rather do a little research, find a company that can actually prove they do what they claim to do – and then go to them for help. The numbers might make it seem a little bleak, but there are people out there who care and who will help. You just need to find them.
