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By Daniela Ginta

The Way I See It

GINTA: The more we buy, the more we throw away. Is it worth it?

Feb 24, 2020 | 4:15 PM

How much clothing do you and your family buy per year? How much do you dispose of? According to a new report, around 20,000 tons of clothing are thrown away annually in Metro Vancouver. That’s 17 pounds per person, which amounts to 44 T-shirts, according to a recent article.

How does a person buy so much clothing that 17 pounds is disposable excess, you may wonder? But that is in Metro Vancouver, here in Kamloops things must be a bit tamer, right? Not quite. According to the City of Kamloops stats, each resident disposes of 37 kg of clothing yearly! Ouch. It doesn’t mean straight from closet to landfill, but still… 37 kilograms!

The way people use and dispose of clothing is scary, if not downright indecent. For years we have seen reports of clothing made in developing countries by people paid so little they can barely exist on such wages. There were, and still are, reports of the environmental impact of the clothing industry — from heavily sprayed cotton crops to toxic dyes that affect waterways and the local communities and wildlife, and further yet the anti-fungal treatment of clothing to prevent molding during shipping. If you factor in the fossil fuel that moves clothing around the globe, the math is not pretty.

You’d think with so much adding to the pricetag, people would be thinking twice before throwing out anything. But clothing is not expensive enough, especially when you consider fast fashion, which is textiles pieced together without any solid stiches and falling apart after being worn once or twice. It’s disturbing.

As for brand names, they are particularly appealing to teenagers and increasingly younger people. They come at higher costs — but somehow affordability is not an issue for many. Parents shell out because you can’t let your kid be the ‘loser’. I’d vote for the return of uniforms any day. Less decision fatigue, economical and fewer opportunities for standing out, or not, due to wardrobe choices.

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That we have lots to throw out, whether it refers to clothing or other goods, does not bode well for the future. Our kids grow increasingly complacent to the real price of their lifestyle, ready to trade conscience for convenience. We are already doing it as a society. But let’s stop and assess the future for a second; population increase means decreasing resources. It’s not doomsday logic; just logic.

The time is ripe for us all to get our heads out of the sand and consider the options — use what we have in better ways, reduce resources exploitation and repurpose as much as possible. A déjà-heard concept; learn to live with less. It’s true — people who have less are happier and are more creative, which comes with its own inherent joy and appreciation, and if those reasons are not enough to make us do it, I cannot think of better ones.

As for the slavery-like conditions we hear about but feel that there is not much we can do — after all, some say, that ensures a wage, meager as it is. If only. If the situation was reversed, would we think the same? That’s where it gets tricky; if workers abroad would be paid fair wages for better quality clothing, which would make merchandise more expensive, consumers would have more appreciation for what they buy, and would take better care of it. This applies to everything from food to clothing to electronics and everything else.

And yet, there are voices who call for better use of resources, from reusing and repurposing to mending and countless reminders to think twice — or thrice, according to a Vancouver campaign — before disposing of your clothing. Here in Kamloops, dedicated folk are organizing yet another Repair Café event. Get down to Sahali Mall on February 29^th between 10:00 a.m. To 3:00 p.m. if you can. Bring items to mend, from clothing to electronics to bicycles and furniture. Or you can just go and see how much there is that we overlook. It’s a learning experience like no other.

I grew up with an ongoing block repair café of sorts. My mom always mended clothing and so did other moms and grandmas. Us kids stuck around and learned without realizing, much like we did with gardening and other activities you learn just by being there and asking why.

My dad and granddad fixed things around the house and yard and so did our neighbours. Big jobs had people gathering to work together and help out. There was an exchange of expertise which ultimately meant a small garbage output, lots of repurposing and reusing, and making do with less. I loved being witness to all of it and am grateful for the awareness those years well spent have created.

I admit it is discouraging to see stats like the ones above. Consumerism is defined by Merriam-Webster as ‘an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable.’ There is no mention of socially or environmentally desirable, which makes it ugly overall, and thus, ironically, undesirable by an increasing number of people. If a simple sentence can sum all of this up, that’d be ‘less is more.’ What a concept!

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.