China’s landfills brim with textile waste as fast fashion reigns

 

At a factory in Zhejiang province on China’s eastern coast, two mounds of discarded cotton clothing and bed linens, loosely separated into dark and light colors, pile up on a workroom floor. Jacket sleeves, collars and brand labels protrude floor. Jacket sleeves, collars and brand labels protrude from the stacks as workers feed the garments into shredding machines.

At a factory in Zhejiang province on China’s eastern coast, two mounds of discarcarded cotton clothing and bed linens, loosely separated into dark and light colors, pile up on a workroom floor. Jacket sleeves, collars and brand labels protrude from the stacks as workers feed the garments into shredding machines.