The darkish aspect of the world’s style dependancy. Lots of our previous garments, donated
to charities, find yourself in rotting textile mountains in West Africa. This can be a story
about how our waste is creating an environmental catastrophe.
Have you ever ever considered what occurs to your previous garments after you drop them off on the
op store? It is likely to be time to start out, as a result of these goodwill gestures are serving to to gasoline an environmental disaster on the opposite aspect of the world.
When charities in Australia can’t promote donated clothes, tonnes of it finally ends up being exported to
international locations like Ghana, in West Africa. Ship after ship docks each week with bales from Europe,
the US, China and Australia.
They name them ‘Lifeless White Man’s Garments’. As soon as they arrive in Ghana, they’re taken to the
bustling Kantamanto markets within the capital Accra and from right here, they make their technique to
villages and cities throughout the nation.
The business gives jobs for hundreds of individuals, like Asare Asamoah, a profitable importer.
He brings in garments, primarily from the UK, and in the event that they’re good high quality, he could make
an honest residing.
Nevertheless it’s dangerous enterprise. He has to pay upfront for a bale and by no means is aware of whether or not it’s trash or
treasure. With low-cost, quick style flooding the world, the standard of the garments arriving in
Ghana is getting worse and worse.
‘Typically you’ve gone and acquired one thing, then you definitely don’t get what you need’, says
Asamoah. ‘Then you definitely lose your cash.”
And there’s a darkish aspect to this business.
Correspondent Linton Besser travels to Ghana to uncover the soiled secret behind the world’s
style dependancy.
Whereas 60 per cent of imported style gadgets are reused and resold, 40 per cent are garbage,
creating an environmental disaster for this poor nation.
With the primary dumpsite for textile waste now full, unregulated dumpsites ring the town. These
fetid garments mountains are sometimes set on fireplace, filling the skies with acrid smoke.
‘It’s completely a disservice to us on this a part of the world as a result of we have now grow to be kind of the
dumping floor for the textile waste that’s produced from Europe, from the Americas”, says
Accra’s waste supervisor, Solomon Noi.
Emmanuel Ajaab imports used garments from Australia however he despairs on the poor high quality of the
garments that arrive. From a bale of about 200 clothes, he finds solely seven he can resell at a
good value.
“In Europe and UK and Australia, America, they assume Africa right here, sorry to say, we aren’t like a
human being”, he tells International Correspondent.
The dumped textiles additionally get swept up within the monsoonal rains and find yourself choking the town’s
waterways and seashores, posing a hazard to fishermen and aquatic life. Liz Ricketts, who runs
an NGO campaigning for consciousness of Ghana’s textile waste disaster, lays the blame on the ft
of worldwide style homes.
“Waste is part of the enterprise mannequin of style. Lots of manufacturers overproduce by as much as 40 per
cent”, says Ricketts.
Noi begs the individuals who donate their garments to assume twice about the place they find yourself.
“If they arrive right here, such as you’ve come, and also you see the practicality for your self, then they’ll
know that, no, we higher deal with this stuff inside our nation and to not ship that
downside to trigger issues to different individuals.”
About International Correspondent:
International Correspondent is the prime-time worldwide public affairs program on Australia’s nationwide broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour period in-depth reviews for broadcast throughout the ABC’s tv channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our groups have journeyed to greater than 170 international locations to report on warfare, pure calamity and social and political upheaval – via the eyes of the individuals on the coronary heart of all of it.
Contributions could also be eliminated in the event that they violate ABC’s On-line Phrases of Use (Part 3). That is an official Australian Broadcasting Company YouTube channel
source
Generous white men help to improve upon the lives of poor Africans while so many others standby and film them for pity and spectacle. There, fixed your racist title.
Different worlds….
isnt it mind blowing that cotton that is used to make fabric is picked by those in poor countries and yet in ends up in a landfill of another poor country
does someone force them to import this much and to dump the unwanted clothes into the sewers?? is this also the fault of the whites?
O now you guys are looking at toxic waste from mega corps?
What is Australia only got white people???? The ABC is now disgustingly racist against its own citizens. ABC = Australia's Broadcasting Communists
I think we can all think of worse environmental disasters: oil leaks from tankers… Saddam Hussein burning oil fields, Union Carbide at Bhopol disaster, Chernobyl.
So someone is buying the old clothes and resell some. Then they throw away what can’t be reused. Seems they should go after the person buying them. Also I noticed allot of other trash. You want to make a difference? Then make things that last longer.
if one would say it… 'dead brown man's clothes, or dead yellow man's clothes, or dead black man's clothes' that would be racist
but… it's from one of those… let's say it…alphabet media MERCHANTS OF HATE… so it is okay to attack certain race or color? one should question the MOTIVATION of those 'invironmental police', et al.
Two possible solutions, man made plastic type fabrics can possibly be made into plastic bricks for building, plant based fabrics possibly can be made into fuel. Coal
We can make blankets, rugs, purses, or mysterious hooded clothes out of the recycled clothes. I'd love to have my own hooded trench coat.
Perhaps it's time to adopt sewing skills. 🤔
The spooky athlete accordingly bleach because explanation conversantly need alongside a rough servant. near, five statistic
That woman is carrying 50KG on her head! Respect.
"i will slap you and u will get a shock" lmao
It's important to invest in pieces you adore, expensive well made pieces. Then accent with second hand, retro pieces or gently used pieces. If you want others, ideally you buy organic so it breaks down to waste.
Question can these clothes be turned into bricks? Stripped of dirt and weaved into items?
Dead white mans clothes? What a shitty thumbnail!
This is like the recycled plastic sent off to other countries. Now This : One Small Step, is good for hopeful ideas.
In india we make different things with waste clothes not throw it away like that. used clothes are good for being used as cleaning cloth. or mopping cloth.
I guess I am in the minority. I don't give a crap what I wear. Most of my things are at least 15-20 years old. I cut up used tshirts etc for rags. Not much goes to waste in my house. I only have a couple of stretch waistband skirts for church and a few cut off jeans for shorts and some tank tops with jeans and tshirts for winter. Tshirts that my grandson outgrew became my sleepwear. It really is a tragedy how wasteful people are.
this is sad, and so is all the virtual signaling going on in the comments.
Hell yeah GO CAPITALISM you did this! GOod for you!
If they got some dye, though could just dye the clothes darker if they got stains? Probably could save tons of clothing.