Category: Reduce Reuse

When we think of our waste stream, we often focus on daily-use items associated with food such as bottles, cans, paper, food scraps, straws, and plastic film. However, we may often neglect thinking about another source of waste that we also use every day: clothing. Perhaps you have never thrown a clothing item into your garbage, but nonetheless one garbage truck worth of textiles is wasted every second.

One of the main reasons we do not realize how much clothing ends up in landfills is that there is significant waste created even before consumer purchase. This waste, also known as upstream waste, consists of discarded material that does not become part of a finished garment. On the downstream end, clothing in poor condition that are sent to donation centers may also end up in the landfill. Another environmental impact of clothing production less visible to consumers, is the large amounts of water it takes to make clothing. On average, making just one cotton t-shirt requires approximately 2,700 liters of water. Fortunately, there are many ways to curb our waste associated with clothing.

Reduce Clothing Consumption

Stopping fashion waste can be thought of like stopping an overflowing bathtub. The first and most important step is to turn off the faucet! In this case, the faucet is our global annual production of 80 billion pieces of clothing! As an individual, the best way to help is to limit how many new clothing items you purchase. Of course, this is easier said than done, but here are several strategies that can help.

• Limit yourself to a certain number of clothing purchases per year. This strategy works well if you know you buy a lot of clothing each year and need a tangible target to help limit yourself.
• Only visit clothing stores when you need a specific clothing item. Remember that online stores count too!
• When you do purchase clothing, limit waste by purchasing secondhand. This prevents an unwanted item from going to the landfill, but it also avoids all the upstream waste associated with the production of new clothing.
• If you have to purchase new, try to buy durable clothing that you know you will enjoy for a long period of time. Look out for brands that are very transparent about the environmental impact of their production, as these companies make a large effort to reduce their impact and treat their workers fairly.

Extend Clothing Life

After long exposure to the elements and a certain number of washes, some clothes may have a few holes or a tear, but this doesn’t mean you have to throw it away. With just a needle and some thread, we can extend the life of our garments. Extending the life of a piece of clothing by just nine months can reduce its environmental impact by 20 to 30%! Another way to extend the life of your clothing is to repurpose it into a different clothing item. For example, a t-shirt can easily be turned into a tank top or a pair of pants can be turned into shorts.

If an article of clothing no longer fits you or your taste in style has changed, there are likely many other people that can still appreciate it. Here are a few different ways to extend the life of your clothing.

• Give to a friend or family member
• Participate in a clothing swap (or organize your own with friends, family or co-workers!)
• Sell at an online secondhand clothing market or platforms such as Craigslist or Ebay
• Donate to a thrift store or donation center
• Repurpose into other items such as rags to clean around the house, a cloth napkin, or even stitch together into a reusable bag!

Clothing Disposal

Unfortunately, some clothing does eventually reach a stage where it cannot be passed on to somebody else or fixed. There are some brands and stores that have drop-off locations to recycle clothing. This should be the last-ditch option because recycling clothing is energy intensive and companies are only able to recycle a very small fraction of the textiles they collect for recycling.

The fashion industry has significant environmental and social impacts, but curbing our impact does not mean we have to give up clothing or sacrifice our sense of style. While it may take more effort to look for used or sustainably sourced clothing, refreshing old clothes and finding a new home or use for retired clothing, it is a process that can be fun, rewarding, and most importantly will help protect our natural resources!

RethinkWaste held a Holiday Show on December 11, 2020. This page provides the webinar recording, presentation slides, links to more resources, and all of the questions submitted by attendees. If you have additional questions, fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

We know the holidays are usually a pretty wasteful time so we put on this informative webinar to give tips on how to reduce waste this holiday season. We also spread some cheer with waste-related carols and had a fun and informative round of trivia.

We hope you find the following resources helpful in your personal journey to reduce waste this holiday season.

To view a recording of the webinar and the live Q&A, click the recording below.

If you have more questions, fill out the form below!

The holiday season will soon be upon us! Here are tips for gifting and receiving gifts that are a little easier on the Earth.

If Gifting:

1. Try a new experience. Giving the gift of an experience is an easy way to reduce waste while still being fun and thoughtful. This could be something like tickets to a botanical garden, museum, or outdoor activity!
2. Get crafty. Making gifts can lead to meaningful keepsakes that come with a lighter ecological footprint. Make a quilt or bag from fabric, yarn or old clothes, make some candles, or construct a memory book of cherished photos.
3. Give the gift of knowledge. There is nothing like curling up with a blanket with your favorite…e-book! E-books allow you to read something new without any of the paper. When they’re done, they can easily download the book to share with others. Alternatively, you can gift them credit for a fun virtual class!
4. Donate to a cause they care about. Donations to organizations can make a positive impact while making little to no waste!
5. Fill their tummies with their favorite foods. Does your loved one have a favorite local restaurant? A gift card or warm meal from there is an easy way to make them smile while supporting a local business. Just remember to ask for no disposable utensils!
6. Shop local. There are plenty of great small businesses in the RethinkWaste service area. Shopping locally and in-person (if possible) supports the local economy while reducing waste and emissions from shipping.
7. Repurpose wrapping. Paper grocery bags or old newspapers make great wrapping paper. Tie it together with some twine and pine needles from outside for a rustic feel. Or reuse last year’s wrapping paper and gift bags or try using scrap sewing material or a colorful scarf.
8. Power up. Many electronics, toys, and gadgets require batteries. If batteries are not included, consider rechargeable batteries. They help reduce waste and can save you money, too.
9. Disposal directions. When giving gifts, providing directions for disposal can help ensure that the receiver knows how to properly sort any waste that comes from it. This is especially important for gifts that contain batteries, as batteries are very dangerous when put in the wrong bin!

If Receiving:

1. Make a list. If you plan on exchanging gifts with loved ones this year, make a list of items you may want or need. Giving your gifter ideas may spoil some of the surprise, but it does allow you to receive something you want instead of something that may go to waste. Also, it’s OK to say no to friends and family if you don’t really want a gift, or consider one of the ideas above if you’re trying to avoid too much consumerism.
2. Sort it out. Make sure you sort your gift wrapping and packaging into the correct cart or bin—or better yet—save materials to reuse next year! If you’re not sure where it goes, check out WhatBin.com.
3. Energize. As you start receiving and using new gadgets, make sure to properly dispose of your spent household batteries. Learn how to do this on our battery page.
4. Donate. To make room for your new gifts at home, consider donating items in good condition that you no longer need instead of trashing them. Check out San Mateo County’s Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Guide to learn more.

Holiday celebrations may look a little different this year, but there are still plenty of ways to show your love to friends, family, and the planet! How are you reducing waste this holiday season? Tag us on social media – #RethinkHolidays on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Wearing a mask when leaving your house has become the norm now. While disposable masks are convenient, they are a single-use item and can often be found littered on the streets, meaning they can travel through waterways and storm drains and eventually make their way into the Bay and ocean. Many brands have come out with stylish masks, but making your own is an easy way to use up fabric scraps that you may already have at home, while preventing unnecessary emissions from shipping a new mask.

DIY masks are most effective when made from a tightly woven material. Examples of this are bedsheets and t-shirts with minimal stretch. Other components of the mask, such as the nose-bridge piece, can be made from craft pipe cleaners, twist ties, or other flexible materials. The mask can be made with either ear loops, which are typically elastic, but can be made with other stretch materials, or a long string.

If you are using a reusable mask, it is imperative that it is washed after use with warm water and sent through the dryer OR put out in the sun to dry.

The DIY method below is being shared by a friend of RethinkWaste, Gail Oshima, and written by Dr. Katie Fry and Emily Knapp, RN.

You will need…

• A sewing machine
• Thread
• Scissors
• Pins
• Fabric for the mask
• Pipe cleaner
• Iron (optional)

Glossary

• Right side: The side that you would like to show when the project is finished
• Seam allowance: How far away the stitches are from the edge of the fabric

Instructions

Step 1. Cut fabric into a 7.5” x 15” rectangle (see “You will need” section above).

The print should be in the direction that you want going the 15” way. If you have a thin fabric that you like, consider doubling up by using a sheet or other tightly-woven fabric.

Stack the rectangles on top of each other.

Step 2. Fold in half width-wise (hamburger style) with right sides together.

Step 3. To make a 3 in. filter opening, mark 2.25 in. from both right and left raw edges. Sew from the edge to the 2.25 in. mark.

Step 4. Flip right side out.

Step 5a. Fold and pin down the raw edges of the filter opening.

Step 5b. Sew them down

Step 6. Adjust the mask so the filter opening is where you would like it.

Step 7a. Measure your pipe cleaner (or other bendy material) for width and length. From the top of the mask, mark a line that is the length of the pipe cleaner and 1/8 of an inch wider than it.

Step 7b. Sew 2 out of 3 sides, insert the pipe cleaner, and sew the 3^rd side closed.

Step 8. Make your mask pleats. There should be a total of 4. Pin them in place. If you are using an iron, use it to press the pleats down.

Step 9. Sew the pleats down with a ¼ in. seam allowance form each side. This is around the edge of the foot. Be sure to catch all folds.

Step 10. Measure the width of your mask (most likely around 3 inches wide). Cut 2 rectangles of fabric that are 3 inches wide and ¾ in. longer than the mask width (ex: 3 ¾ in. x 3 in.).

Step 11a. Pin them to the front of the mask with right sides together. 

Step 11b. Sew down at ½ in. seam allowance.

Step 12. Fold this over and outward, then fold the 3 remaining edges in at about ¼ in. Press.

Step 13. Fold this to the inside of the mask, leaving plenty of room for your elastic or other fabric strips to slip through. Pin down and sew at ¼ in. seam allowance.

Step 14. Press again if desired, and thread your chosen attachment method (elastic or fabric strip). Enjoy your homemade mask!

Now you can start making your own face masks! Remember this is a great way to use up things like ripped sheets (you don’t need to buy new fabric), while creating something you’ll need! It also is a creative way to practice one of the 4 R’s – Reduce. There are also so many other simple projects – such as rags, bags, and scrunchies that can utilize old clothes or sheets too!

We would love to see how you practice reducing and creative reuse. Take a picture of your action(s) and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

With Shelter-In-Place orders in San Mateo County and Statewide, the sudden spread of COVID-19 has caused each of us to pause before going out on simple trips to the grocery store, even leading many of us to favor services that deliver food and goods. With so much additional time spent in home, items like soft plastics associated with shipping have increased in our waste stream. While not all waste is avoidable, this time at home can be a wonderful opportunity to form better habits and learn something new about the ways we generate waste.

Here are a few waste-reduction tips to try out during quarantine:

1) Conduct a Home Waste Audit: Hold yourself accountable of the waste you generate by taking note of everything you throw into any of your 3 carts. Your audit could be for just one day or even a week’s worth of waste, but the goal is to become more aware of the volume of waste we are personally responsible for. Take note of each item, what it’s made of, and which cart it’s tossed into. At the end of your audit, reflect on what types of items were tossed the most, and consider finding at least one solution to preventing this waste. Here’s a Home Waste Audit Campaign that can help you get started. If you have children or roommates, this makes for a great group activity!

2) Ditch To-Go Disposables: As many of us turn to delivery options from our favorite local restaurants, it can be easy for unnecessary single-use plastics to pile up. A simple way to avoid excess utensils, straws, or napkins is by requesting in the “special instructions” that your order is delivered without them! Our collective actions can make a significant impact!

3) Explore Eco-Alternatives:  Support smaller businesses online and reduce trips to the store by trying out low-packaging or compostable products. Many of these products may not be available at a regular grocery store, so quarantine is a great time to browse the internet and find your new favorite eco-alternative! Some examples may be: toothpaste tablets, reusable coffee filter, bar shampoo/conditioner, bamboo dish scrubber, or a silicone baking mat.

4) Trash to Art: If you’ve got kiddos at home this one’s especially for you – exercise your creativity by turning items that would otherwise go into the landfill into a beautiful masterpiece! Whether it be a sculpture of your favorite cartoon character, a re-creation of your favorite painting, or something entirely original, this is a fun activity to give your waste a second life. If you know a 3^rd-5^th grader that goes to school in the RethinkWaste service area, you’re in luck! The RethinkWaste Trash to Art competition is open until May 8, and your submission might just get recognized!

With restrictions surrounding reusable cups and bags, as well as a surge in medical waste like gloves, these days we are seeing the return of single-use garbage in our environment. Although much of this waste is difficult to avoid during this time (and most of it belongs in our garbage and not the streets), it’s important that we continue to look for small changes we can make at home that will keep the zero waste movement alive. As we continue to be conscious of the items we throw out, know that the time for reusables will come again, and it will be as important as ever to enact these habits of environmental responsibility.