July’s Waste Thoughts – 2025

Our next Zoom meeting is on Tuesday 8th July 7pm – Please contact simongibbon@casav.uk for further details.

Full notes below, after a quick summary – follow links for the detail:

Several actions and follow-up points emerged from the meeting, beyond the main discussion on textile waste:

Actions

  • All – volunteers for Bilsdale (30th August) and Kildale (6th September) please contact Simon Gibbon – simongibbon@casav.uk.
  • Simon – confirm details of Bilsdale / Kildale shows.
  • All – volunteers for Repair Cafe please contact Simon Gibbon – repaircafe@casav.uk.
  • All – volunteers for Clothes Swap please contact Jane Mercer and Jo Ackroyd – clothesswap@casav.uk.

Background – Our Monthly Waste Discussions

If you have just signed up to the Waste Group, then welcome, I hope these notes of our discussion make sense.

We meet once a month to talk about topics connected to waste and plan / report progress on our ongoing activities such as the Repair Cafes, Foodshare, Refill scheme and events such as the Bilsdale Show.  If you visit the “Thoughts on Waste” page on the CASaV website you can find all our past discussions – https://climateactionstokesleyandvillages.org/waste/thoughts-on-waste/

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Notes form 8th July 2025 CASaV Waste

This meeting differed from our normal meetings by being held at Joy and Pete’s Eco-Barn, so less discussion of waste and more seeing reuse, upcycling and repurposing in practise on their land.

Previous Actions

Tracey to provide information on how plastics are recycled and what they are recycled into.

Tracey to provide contact for Reboot (North Yorkshire tech recycling) if available.

Anne and Helen to explore creating an article for the climate column on reducing bread and potato waste for September.

Kate contact Geoff Jacques about Eco-church as a topic for D&S Climate Column

Fred to provide details on the eco-thrift event in Redcar.

All to consider questions for a potential Facebook survey with Tindalls on refill products and implement the survey – email your ideas to Simon Gibbon (simongibbon@casav.uk).

Simon to confirm details for the upcoming shows in Bilsdale and Kilsdale before the next meeting.

All please contact Kate Gibbon (kategibbon@casav.uk) if you or any friends are able to volunteer to help with setting up Give or Take events.

Su Morgan – Textile Waste

It was great to have Su Morgan, from Tadcrafters Community Interest Company, give a presentation on Textiles Waste. If you missed it then you can see a recording of her presentation below and look at her slides here, see a summary below.

References:

1. The Alarming Scale of Textile Overconsumption and Waste

The core message across the source is the dramatic increase in clothing consumption and the resulting environmental crisis.

  • Explosive Growth in Consumption: In 1970, the average person owned 25 items of clothing, spending 10% of their salary. Today, this has drastically shifted:
  • “The average person had 118 items of clothing and spent 3% of their salary on clothing.”
  • “Currently in the UK more than two tons of clothing are bought every minute.”
  • Underutilised Wardrobes: Despite high consumption, a significant portion of clothing remains unworn.
  • “26% of the contents of the UK wardrobes have not been worn in the last year.” For some, this figure is even higher, with one participant noting, “just for mine probably more than that.”
  • Unsold New Clothes: A substantial amount of clothing is produced but never reaches consumers.
  • “30% of new clothes are never even sold.”
  • Landfill Crisis: A large proportion of unwanted clothing ends up in landfill.
  • “30% of unwanted clothes end up in UK landfill sites.” This equates to “300,000 tons of old clothes put in the general waste annually in the UK,” valued at “around about 140 million pounds worth.”
  • Global Waste Accumulation: Visual evidence highlights the global impact, with images of clothing mountains in the Atacama desert, Chile, and Ghana, where synthetic and poor-quality items accumulate after secondhand sorting.

2. Historical Context and Drivers of Overconsumption

The presentation effectively traces the historical trajectory of clothing production and cost, identifying key turning points that led to the current situation.

  • Decline in Clothing Cost:1500s: “A dress would cost about a month’s pay to buy.”
  • 1880 (Industrial Revolution): “A dress would cost about a week’s pay.”
  • 1970s: “The dress cost about a day’s pay.”
  • Today: “A dress could cost you as little as an hour’s pay.”
  • Rise of Fast Fashion:1980s-1990s: Manufacturing shifted “overseas to places like Bangladesh and all sorts of places like that.” This era saw the emergence of “fast fashion,” leading to increased competitiveness and reduced prices.
  • 1990s-2000s: “Internet shopping” further reduced prices by bypassing high street shops.
  • Ultra-Fast Fashion and AI-Driven Consumption:Shein (founded 2015): Utilises “artificial intelligence, aggressive spam marketing, and time-sensitive discounts” to create “addiction and overconsumption.” In 2023, Shein launched “one and a half million new products” and was valued at “$90 billion,” surpassing H&M, Primark, ASOS, Boohoo, and Forever 21 combined.
  • Temu (founded 2022): Spent “$2 billion on marketing alone,” using “influencers and social media like Tik Tok and YouTube” with the slogan “shop like a billionaire.” By 2024, Temu had “100 million users,” overtaking Shein sales in the US, and by 2025, it projected “292 million monthly active users worldwide.”
  • Disposable Society: The low cost of items makes repair uneconomical.
  • “If something is delivered to you and it’s damaged, it’s often cheaper and easier just to replace it rather than repair it.”
  • “It’s actually cheaper to incinerate returned items and reprocess and sell them.”
  • Exploitation and Socioeconomic Unfairness: Low prices are linked to exploitation and disproportionately affect the poor.
  • “Someone is being exploited and there’s all sorts of nasty stories about exploitation, virtual slave labor and that kind of thing.”
  • “It’s expensive to be poor” – cheaper, less durable items cost more in the long run than expensive, long-lasting alternatives.

3. Environmental Impacts of Textile Production

The briefing highlights the severe environmental consequences of the textile industry, often driven by the production of synthetic fibres.

  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Textile production releases “2 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” accounting for “10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions,” predicted to rise to “25% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2020” (likely meant to be a future projection like 2050 based on context).
  • Water Usage and Pollution: “93 billion cubic meters of water is used by the industry each year and dying accounts for almost 20% of global water pollution.”
  • Plastic Waste and Microplastics: “Producing textiles creates 42 million tons of plastic waste each year and 10% of the microplastics that enter the ocean every year are from textiles.”
  • Decomposition Rates:Synthetic Fibres (e.g., polyester, nylon): “Take over 200 years to decompose” (60% of new clothing).
  • Man-made Fibres (e.g., viscose, rayon): “Can take from a few weeks to decompose under the right conditions.”
  • Natural Fibres (e.g., cotton, wool): “Take from around a few weeks to two years to decompose,” though cotton production has its own issues with water and pesticide use.

4. Current Efforts and Solutions

Various initiatives are underway to address textile waste, spanning legislation, industry collaboration, technological advancements, and community actions.

  • Legislation and Policy:Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Where the “producer is responsible for the disposal,” already in place for textiles in California and for packaging in the UK.
  • Regulatory Pressure: Governments are encouraged to “encourage recycling and to discourage waste in the future,” although “politicians don’t want to bring in rules and regulations if it’s going to be unpopular.”
  • Tariffs and Tax Rule Changes: US tariffs and changes to “diminish tax rules” have negatively impacted Shein and Temu profits. Shein’s valuation dropped from $90 billion in 2023 to $30 billion in February 2025.
  • Industry Collaboration: Companies like “H&M… working with a got a scheme called Loop,” and “Primark working with an organization called RAP” (Waste Reduction and Action Programme).
  • Circular Economy Practices:Upcycling: Creating “products with a higher value than the original product.”
  • Downcycling: Products with a “lower value, such as rags and insulation, stuffing.” The Salvation Army operates a processing unit for downcycling rags.
  • Technological Development: Focus on “creating better recyclable and durable fabrics” and “digital product passports” (QR codes on swing tickets) to provide information on origin and manufacturing.
  • Consumer Awareness and Behaviour Change:Education: “What I’m doing today really” – increasing understanding of the problem.
  • Demand Reduction: Encouraging people to “buy less and buy better quality items.”
  • Secondhand and Rental: “Younger people increasingly are buying secondhand and they’re most likely to engage with circular business models.” The idea of renting or hiring clothes, common for formal wear, is being expanded to general clothing.
  • Repair and Repurpose: Initiatives like “repair cafes,” “improve our repair skills,” and “visible mending (sashiko).” Repaired items last “on average an extra one and a half years.”
  • Local Shopping: “Shop locally from reputable companies,” keeping production and consumption within the UK to ensure transparency.

5. Community-Led Initiatives: TadCrafters and Local Stokesley Efforts

The discussion highlights concrete examples of local action and their impact.

  • TadCrafters: Founded to “cheer Tadcaster up a little bit” after floods, this group uses donated materials (old sheets, fabric stashes) for community projects, such as making bunting. They have a strong focus on “recycling, repurposing fabrics” and achieving “virtually no waste at all” by finding a use for even small scraps (e.g., draft excluders). This initiative demonstrates how “it doesn’t cost us very much at all to buy to get the things in that we need.”
  • Local Clothes Swap (Stokesley): Scheduled for 27th September at St. Joseph’s Church Hall. Participants bring “five items of pre-loved but reasonably good quality clothing” to swap. It includes women’s, children’s (not babies’), and men’s clothes, but no accessories or shoes. The goal is to “get something new, but without anything new being manufactured.” Efforts are being made to involve younger people and use social media. Challenges include storage for unswapped clothes.
  • Mending Circle (Stokesley): A monthly initiative at the Town Hall, focusing on teaching repair skills (e.g., sewing a button) and alterations. It caters to people with “no skill at all,” aiming to “show them how to repair it themselves” and prolong clothing lifespan.
  • School Engagement: Discussion on engaging junior schools with textile upcycling days (e.g., Kirby and Great Broughton), teaching children to make bags from old t-shirts and turning clothes into “festival fashion.” This fosters awareness and practical skills at a critical age.

6. Key Challenges and Future Directions

The discussion surfaces critical challenges and suggests pathways for systemic change.

  • Economic Drivers: The low cost of clothing continues to drive overconsumption. “If clothes were much more expensive All of us would buy less of them.” Legislation and economic incentives are crucial for systemic change.
  • Impact on Developing Economies: A concern was raised about the potential impact on Bangladeshi clothing workers if demand for fast fashion decreases. The counter-argument suggests that automation will eventually displace these jobs, and higher-value, more complex manufacturing could be a future direction. Ultimately, addressing climate change and ensuring a habitable planet takes precedence.
  • Education and Skills: The decline of textiles in schools is a concern, as basic repair skills are no longer widely taught. Community-led initiatives like mending circles are attempting to fill this gap.
  • Government and Policy: There is a need for “political will” and “public opinion” to push for stronger regulations and tax changes to discourage waste and encourage sustainability.
  • Technological Innovation: Developing single-material clothing for easier recycling and more durable fabrics is essential.
  • Waste Management Infrastructure: Concerns exist regarding the fate of donated clothing, with a “huge portion of it just gets thrown in the general waste” by charity shops due to being “inundated by so much.” The feasibility of increasing downcycling (like Salvation Army’s efforts) depends on profitability. Local council textile recycling bins vary in their effectiveness.
  • Broader Environmental Waste Issues: Parallels were drawn with the food industry (processed food, unsustainable practices) and electricity waste (e.g., turning off wind turbines). Discussions around “double extraction” (getting more out of resources) and optimising electricity use (night-time cheap rates, battery storage) highlight broader waste reduction principles.

Updates

Jane

Clothes Swap will take place on 27th September at St. Joseph’s Church Hall in Stokesley. The concept involves bringing five items of pre-loved, good-quality clothing to swap for something new. Efforts are being made to involve younger people through university, school, and social media. The swap will include women’s, children’s (not babies’), and men’s clothes, but no accessories or shoes. Leftover clothes will hopefully be stored for future swaps, with the repair cafe supporting the hall hire and small expenses. Storage for leftover clothes is still an unresolved issue. The second swap date is not yet set, pending evaluation of the first event’s demand.

Mending Circle is now running on the second Monday of each month at 5:00 PM in the Town Hall in Stokesley. The circle focuses on teaching people how to repair their own clothes, including basic skills like sewing on buttons and alterations. The repair cafe is providing support for the mending circle.

Wendy

Double Extraction Principle – the general principle of “double extraction,” which involves getting more out of things by processing them in multiple stages (e.g., extracting juice from fruit or rinsing soap from clothes with limited water).

Pete / Joy

Government Expenditure and Electricity Waste – A report on government expenditure, mentions the potential need to cut the triple lock on pensions due to rising costs and an aging population. They also raised the issue of wasting a large amount of electricity nationally, such as by switching off wind turbines. Widespread use nighttime cheap electricity rates through battery storage (even without solar arrays) and the importance of ensuring smart meters are modern enough to cope with rate changes could reduce the need to switch off wind turbines. Dale Vince is championing the potential for zonal pricing to address both make electricity cheaper and reduce electricity waste.

Simon

Swainby Church Hall Heating Provision, the church are keen to set up a project to improve the heating system at the church hall and is seeking advice from others who have experience with similar projects.

Kate / Pete

Greening Stokesley School Grounds – Looking at how to green the grounds at Stokesley School, which are currently described as an “ecological desert”. Discussions have taken place with a committed assistant principal about what can be done, with plans for the school to be provided with a plan of areas for development. Potential funding streams could include the Co-op community fund (for raised beds in the inclusion unit) and the Royal Horticultural Society (for school gardens). The goal is to enhance students’ well-being and study capacity through a greener environment.

Kate

Ecosia, is a search engine that plants trees worldwide when used, suggesting it as an alternative to other search engines. Click to Switch to Ecosia.

The Environment Agency will have an information stall at our July and August repair cafes, seeking volunteers for flooding monitor roles in different communities.

Matter Arising

Billsdale/Kildale Show Stalls

CASaV will be helping with recycling and having information stalls at the Billsdale and Kildale shows. Please get touch if you want volunteer and help on the day – email simongibbon@casav.uk.

Clothes Swap – 1pm – 4pm Saturday 27th September 2025 – St Joseph’s Church Hall, Stokesley – please get in touch if you would like to get involved – clothesswap@casav.uk.

Give or Take event – Action: All please contact Kate Gibbon (kategibbon@casav.uk) if you or any friends are able to volunteer to help with setting up Give or Take events.

Repair Cafes

14th June – Stokesley – Our Great Big Green Week Repair Cafe. This year’s Great Big Green Week theme focused on “Swaps can improve lives”. Some of the topics discussed were swapping throwing away unloved items for giving them a new lease of life, or swap skills with another organisation in your area, neighbours comong tougher their street to swap an unloved area to one that attracts wildlife. The possibilities are endless. However every swap will add together to make a big difference.

Of course the Globe library was once again a hive of activity with a huge range of items fixed, while fixing is not always it often is, whether it is a pair of secateurs so blunt you can’t even cut yourself, or a vacuum cleaner with no suck, working with you we can often work out a fix – so things are sharp and such again.

19th July – Swainby – we are going to be joined by the Environment Agency who want to engage with local people to improve awareness of the risk of flooding and so improve the local communities resilience to flooding.

Repair Cafe Lunch – all the Repair Cafe Team and families are invited to the lunch at Church Lane, Swainby on July 19th.

9th August – Stokesley –

If you or anybody you know could spare time to help at our repair cafes then we are looking for repairers, front of house team members and refershment team members. Get in touch with Simon (simongibbon@casav.uk) or fill out the sign up form – https://forms.gle/cE2gbFjGksauRsq8A

Meetings

CASaV AGM – Great Ayton Yatton House 7.00pm with a pooled supper.

CASaV Group Meeting – Stokesley Library – 7.30pm

AOB

Next Meeting

Tuesday 12th August 7pm – Please contact simongibbon@casav.uk for further details.