
Tons of donated clothes are transported to impoverished nations every year, yet an estimated 30 per cent of them wind up in landfills or overflow local markets, displacing domestic production.
According to a recent study by the Netherlands-based Changing Markets Foundation, where 900 million pieces of old clothing are delivered to Kenya annually, the issue is having serious effects there.
A large portion of the apparel imported into the nation is composed of petroleum-based materials, including polyester, or is in such a horrible condition that it cannot be donated.
These might be burned in dumps close to Nairobi, exposing the unemployed trash collectors to dangerous toxins. Also, loads of textiles are carried into waterways, where they eventually degrade into microfibers that aquatic life consumes.
Between 20 and 50 per cent of the clothing given was of poor enough quality to not be marketed on the neighbourhood secondhand market.
The smoke from burned plastic at the Dandora site, according to some waste pickers who worked there, caused them to develop respiratory and asthmatic problems.
According to experts, the fast fashion explosion in richer countries has made the situation of clothing waste worse because clothes, many of which are made of synthetic fibers, are sometimes only donned a few times before being thrown out.
The research urged the utilisation of non-toxic and environmentally friendly materials in the production of textiles as well as the global implementation of more enhanced producer responsibility programs.