Recycling provides a new future for a garment you no longer need.
Choose a recycling option when a favorite dress or suit no longer fits, goes out of fashion or is damaged. According to the National Resources Defense Council, we discard an average of 68 lbs. of garments per person per year. Recycling removes some of those garments from the waste stream. Recycle for yourself or to benefit others, depending on the condition of the garment.
Instructions
Recycle at Home
1. Check for damaged areas on the garment as part of the assessment.
Launder the garment and assess the condition. Look for missing buttons, tears, worn spots or other damage to aid your decision as to recycle the garment.
2. Dress up a garment with new buttons for an easy, inexpensive recycling plan.
Update a usable but out-of-style outfit by removing any dated details. Changing the buttons on an otherwise usable dress or suit makes a fairly inexpensive update. Add an applique or design in beads or rhinestones to jazz up a plain outfit. A lace trim, new collar or belt may be all that's needed to bring a basic dress into the present. Shorten a gown into a cocktail dress. Add a coordinating ruffle at the bottom of a skirt to lengthen it.
3. Design a new garment for your wardrobe using fabric from an existing one. Use a seam ripper to separate the original dress into its component parts. Open any darts or tucks. Iron the pieces flat. Pin the pattern for the new garment to the fabric. Add a coordinating fabric for some of the pieces if the existing fabric proves to be insufficient. Cut out the parts and assemble the new garment. Send any leftover fabric pieces for recycling.
Recycle to Others
4. Gather your unwanted, but usable garments together. Note size, description and condition.
5. Photograph the items, if possible, for online offering or consignment.
6. Post the description and photos to an online donation website or deliver the garments to a resale or consignment shop.
Recycle for a New Use
7. Gather the damaged or worn garments together. Sort the garments by primary fabric content if possible.
8. Remove any features that would be useful for future recycling or sewing projects. Buttons, belts, undamaged lace or decorative features can be salvaged for use in other garments. A fancy collar can dress up some other blouse.
9. Bring the garments to a charitable resale shop. Recyclers purchase textile waste in bulk from the resale shops and route them to the appropriate destination for future use.
Tags: recycle, dress into, dress suit, garments together
