Should we all live with less? Shocking reports show “recycled” garments dumped in remote Chile. Some think that we need to change course before the whole planet becomes a landfill site.
How your clothes end up in the desert
Desert dumping: Shocking images reveal that thousands of tonnes of garments, discarded for recycling, are being abandoned in the Atacama Desert, creating a vast environmental wasteland. Glossary
Yarn - A length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, knitting, weaving, or embroidery to make cloth.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch - A collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean covering an area three times the size of France.
Ghana - A country in West Africa.
Overconsumption - Using up something in excess, e.g. resources such as fuel.
Synthetic - An artificial substance or material. It is made by humans using chemical processes, rather than occurring naturally.
Crude oil - A thick, black liquid found deep underground that is used to make many important products, like petrol and plastics.
Hydrogen chloride - A colourless, sharp-smelling gas that, when dissolved in water, creates hydrochloric acid; it can be released as a toxic byproduct during industrial processes.
Regenerate - The process of growing back, restoring, or being created again naturally after being used or damaged.