Added: Oct 01, 2020
Last edited: Sep 10, 2021
A large amount of worn clothing is burnt, or worse, deposited in landfills. In New York City alone, the clothes disposed in landfills every year amount to 100'000 tonnes. The City of New York collaborated with retail partners, recyclers, collectors and resellers to create a campaign called #WearNext that should spread awareness for this issue. As a result, a widely shared interactive map displaying points to drop off used clothes was created and shared, and a campaign was run via posters, press and social media. This led to a significant increase of drop-offs and interest from other cities.
In New York City alone, around 100'000 tonnes of clothing are thrown away and end up in landfills every year. This is a major challenge to the city, as landfills take up large amounts of space, are costly to entertain, and damage the environment around them significantly. At the same time, the production of new clothing is a resource-intensive process that emits large amounts of CO2.
The New York City Department of Sanitation launched the #WearNext campaign in 2019 to reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills. This campaign fosters collaboration between brands, collectors, resellers, and recyclers to increase the availability and awareness of drop-off points and reused clothing. It includes an interactive online map listing over 1'100 drop-off points for used clothes across NYC as well as a public information campaign via press releases, social media, and campaign posters.