Guide · Textile waste
Textile waste facts: how much clothing ends up in landfills
Clothes are one of the fastest-growing parts of America's trash. Here's what the EPA's numbers actually say, and what you can do with the clothes in your closet.
By the Gift N Thrift team · Updated 2026-10-01 · SOTF Express Publishing, LLC
The headline numbers
The US Environmental Protection Agency tracks textiles in municipal solid waste. Its most recent national figures are for 2018:
| Textiles in US municipal solid waste, 2018 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Generated | 17.0 million tons (5.8% of all MSW) |
| Recycled | 2.5 million tons (14.7% recycling rate) |
| Burned for energy | 3.2 million tons |
| Landfilled | 11.3 million tons (7.7% of everything landfilled) |
For clothing and footwear specifically, the EPA estimated about 13 million tons were generated in 2018, about 9 million tons were landfilled, and the recycling rate was roughly 13%.
Source: US EPA, Textiles: Material-Specific Data and Nondurable Goods: Product-Specific Data. The EPA notes that reused textiles aren't counted in generation until they're eventually discarded.
How fast it has grown
In 1960 Americans generated about 1.76 million tons of textile waste. By 2018 it was 17.03 million tons, nearly ten times as much, while the population didn't even double. Landfilled textiles rose from 1.71 million tons to 11.3 million over the same period.
| Year | Textiles generated | Textiles landfilled |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.76M tons | 1.71M tons |
| 1990 | 5.81M tons | 4.27M tons |
| 2010 | 13.22M tons | 8.90M tons |
| 2018 | 17.03M tons | 11.30M tons |
The usual explanation is cheaper clothing and faster fashion cycles: people buy more pieces and wear each one fewer times.
Why recycling alone can't fix it
Only about one in seven tons of textiles gets recycled, and recycling clothes is hard. Most garments are blends (cotton and polyester, say) that are difficult to separate. Much “textile recycling” is downcycling into rags, insulation or stuffing.
That's why reuse, wearing a garment again as a garment, matters most. Every year a coat stays in use is a year nobody needs to make a new one.
What happens to donated clothes
Donating feels like the end of the story, but it's often the middle. Charities and thrift stores receive far more clothing than they can sell in their own stores. Unsold clothing is commonly sold by the pound to textile graders, who sort it for export, rags or recycling, and some is ultimately discarded.
Donating is still far better than trashing. But you can raise the odds of real reuse by giving items directly to someone who wants them, in their size.
What actually reduces textile waste
- Wear what you own longer. The most sustainable garment is already in your closet.
- Repair small damage. Buttons, hems and seams are five-minute fixes.
- Give directly by size. Kids' clothes and shoes are the easiest wins, because they're outgrown long before they're worn out. See free clothes by size.
- Get secondhand first. Before buying, check free and used listings.
- Recycle only what's truly worn out. Look for textile drop-offs rather than the trash.
Where Gift N Thrift fits
We built Gift N Thrift around reuse: people list clothes, shoes and household goods at $0, and someone else claims them, nearby for free or shipped anywhere in the US for postage plus $2 and a $2.99 fee. Our slogan is the whole plan: Give it away. Ship it on. Waste less.
Frequently asked questions
How much clothing ends up in landfills in the US?
The EPA estimated about 11.3 million tons of textiles were landfilled in 2018, including roughly 9 million tons of clothing and footwear.
What percentage of textiles are recycled?
About 14.7% of textiles in US municipal solid waste were recycled in 2018, according to the EPA. The rate for clothing and footwear was about 13%.
What is the best way to reduce textile waste?
Wear clothes longer, repair them, and when they no longer fit, give them directly to someone who will wear them. Recycle only what's worn out.
