60,000 metric tons of clothing were found in the Atacama Desert
About 60,000 metric tons of textile waste have accumulated in Chile’s Atacama Desert; the scale of the pile is so vast that it is visible even in satellite images. The waste includes both used clothing and new items still bearing price tags.
Every year, tens of thousands of metric tons of clothing arrive in Chile via the port of Iquique from Europe, the United States, Canada, and Asian countries. Some of the items are resold, but unsellable or unsold textiles are often illegally dumped in the desert or burned.
Environmentalists point out that most modern clothing is made from synthetic materials that may take decades to decompose and release hazardous substances when burned.
Chilean authorities are seeking ways to recycle textile waste and are gradually implementing mechanisms designed to hold manufacturers accountable for the disposal of their products.
Source: Times of India.
