Castoffs in Chile

Sixty thousand tonnes of used clothing are dumped on Chile each year. Most of this 'rag trade waste' comes from China; South Korea, the UK and the US. Less than half is resold. Around 39,000 tonnes per year is, however, illegally disposed of in the Atacama desert. Some is buried and some is burnt. The resulting 'clothes slick' is actually visible from space (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/may/08/castoffs-to-catwalk-fashion-show-shines-light-on-vast-chile-clothes-dump-visible-from-space). The Atacama is a tourist attraction and a place for star gazing. So, this waste and pollution from 'fast fashion' impacts on tourism and the environment. This dumping is also going to increase 'greenhouse gas' emissions. Folk advocating a sensible move to increase sales of 'pre-loved' clothing, clearly have a long way to go.