In The Fabrics of Our Trash, we unravel the hidden impact of textile waste. According to Remake, it takes approximately 200 years for discarded clothes to decompose fully. In the meantime, decomposing clothes contain dangerous chemicals, microplastic fibers, and release greenhouse gases, putting both the planet and the health and well-being of communities near these landfills at risk.
Host and producer Brooke Butler visits Remains LLC, a local textile recycling facility, to see how old clothes and fabric scraps are sorted, repurposed, and given new life.
A sustainable design expert from Washington University talks about how fashion choices and fabric innovations can reduce environmental harm. Then, we stop by the City Sewing Room, where community members are stitching solutions together—one hem at a time.
Whether you're holding onto holey socks or drowning in fast fashion, this episode threads together practical steps for keeping textiles out of the trash.
This Nine PBS digital series helps us better understand sustainability and how to be Earth-conscious every day. Learn about specific household items that you might commonly question whether to recycle, donate, or throw away. You’ll also hear about strategies for reducing consumption and creative ways to reuse what you already have.
What Do I Do with This? is available on Nine PBS’s YouTube channel, the PBS app, and ninepbs.org. Watch the latest episode below.
The series is supported in part by Cass Information Systems, Inc., the Graybar Foundation, and the Betsy & Thomas O. Patterson Foundation.
Explore other digital content about our environment on the Earth Month YouTube playlist by PBS Digital Studios.
