As the end of the school year and graduation approaches, both seniors and underclassmen may start eyeing their wardrobe. Seniors might have to downsize their catalogue of clothes in preparation for a move to a smaller living situation, such as an apartment or a dorm. Students could also have outgrown their clothes, either stylistically or physically.

Fast fashion (the rapid production of inexpensive, low-quality clothing that often mimics popular styles of fashion labels, big-name brands, and independent designers) results in a number of people throwing away their clothes when a new trend emerges, leading to an abundance of textile waste.

According to Earth.org, “Fast fashion is the second-biggest consumer of water and responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions… The industry dries up water resources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year.”

To combat the air and water pollution that results from fast fashion, consumers can make conscientious decisions to do right by the planet. Here are some environmentally-friendly ways to give your clothes a new life!

Donate your clothes

If your clothes don’t fit, are deemed “out of style” or are simply taking up too much space in your wardrobe, one way you can get rid of them is to donate them to stores or even a homeless or domestic violence shelter (but contact these shelters first, as their storage may be limited). Churches also take clothing donations.

Some places that take used clothing are Goodwill, Salvation Army, American Red Cross and H&M. They will resell your clothing at a lower cost.  There also may be alternative drop off bins near you that will recycle clothes that are a little worse for wear.

Judson High School’s AFJROTC is hosting their annual clothing drive fundraiser from April 24-May 30. Participating in the clothing drive will not only help you clean out your closet, but it will also help fund the AFJROTC program.

Turn your clothes into art

If you enjoy being crafty, there are many ways you can transform your old clothes into a masterpiece. For example, you can turn your old t-shirts into wall art. This is a very easy way to keep clothes that are sentimental to you while still decluttering your wardrobe.

Daniel Boone Regional Library posted an easy to follow, step-by-step tutorial on how to reconstruct your t-shirts into wall art. There are also various tutorials on other platforms, such as YouTube.

There are also a lot of other kinds of art you can turn your clothes into. An HGTV article details some of these options, such as festive decorations and pet-centric pieces, but there are many more crafts you can do. The only limit is your imagination.

Upcycle your clothes

Any clothing fabric can be either cut into a different style of clothing. For example, you can turn your old jeans into a skirt or shorts. As well, you can use scrap material “for quilting, to cover rips or stains on denim pants and jackets with basic handstitching, or for other sewing projects. (You can even reuse back pockets… turning them into small coin pouches.),” as per The New York Times.

Another option is frogging, which is unraveling the stitches from a crocheted item, such as a sweater. If you own an old crocheted sweater, you or someone who has the resources, can undo the yarn and reuse it to make new clothing or projects. This can cost less and be less wasteful than going to a store and buying new yarn. Influencer Emilee Shield has posted a tutorial on Instagram on how to do so.

Upcycle My Clothes also has many ideas for transforming your clothes, giving examples of repurposing both tops and bottoms into different clothing and non-clothing items.

Overall, there are many different ways to either get rid of your clothes or modify them in a non-wasteful way. Every person who takes the steps to reduce their carbon footprint is helping heal the environment. Small actions add up.