Conservation Comment: Apply the six Rs of the zero waste inverted pyramid to old clothes

Patchwork by Airini Beautrais, using scraps and second-hand materials. Photo / Airini Beautrais

What do you do with your clothes once you are finished with them? Take them to the op shop? Chuck them in the bin? Put them in the rag waste? Or recycle them yourself?

Have you ever wondered what happens to the clothing that you donate? A lot of donated clothing ends up in landfill. The "perfectly good" clothing you put in the clothing bin may also be shredded to make rag waste for cleaning industrial machinery. While this is recycling, it wastes clothing that could be worn again.

The fashion industry is one of the dirtiest in the world, responsible for around 10 per cent of global climate emissions. Let's apply the six Rs of the zero waste inverted pyramid: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, rot.

Refuse to buy clothing you don't need! This is a hard one for me because I love clothes and fashion.

I refuse to buy a lot of new clothing and I refuse to buy heavily branded clothing. If brands want me to advertise their stuff, they should pay me! Instead of buying new clothing, I mostly shop from op shops and make my own, where possible from second hand fabric.

People know I love to sew so I am often gifted amazing fabric. I also like to purchase zips, buttons, thread and other sewing items from op shops. I inherited my Nana's thread collection, something I treasure. Back in the day, thread was made much stronger so it is still good to use.

Reduce: When I do buy new clothing, I try to reduce the amount. Again, this is tricky for me as a clothing addict! One thing I am mindful of is the temptation to become Imelda Marcos when it comes to heels.

Realistically, no one "needs" high heels. It's up to the individual to work out where they will draw the line with reduction. If you're never, ever going to wear it though, you really don't need it.

Reuse: When clothing has done its dash in my household, there are a few possible re-uses. One is to hand on to someone who will use it. I take kids' clothing to the Koha Shed. Sometimes I donate vintage items to the museum tactile collection. Other times I share them around fellow vintage enthusiasts.

Repair: My friends and I have a regular mending session where we darn, patch and alter clothing. Got a bit bigger? Let the seams out. Lost a button? Replace it. Easy peasy.

Recycle: when clothing is too worn out to donate, it gets made into rags or chopped up and used as cushion stuffing. I make cushions from second hand fabric. I love cushions!

Rot: Most clothing isn't suitable for the compost because of the dyes, bleaches and other chemicals used on the fabric. If you have unbleached cotton or undyed wool, however, it may be perfectly okay to chuck in the compost!

Textile conservation is creative, fun and sociable. Who doesn't love a crafternoon? Who doesn't love a clothes swap? And who doesn't love coming out of an op shop with a bargain?

Airini Beautrais works part-time as communications co-ordinator at the museum.