Title: The Alarming Consequences: Chile’s Enormous Discarded Clothing Mountain Visible from Space
Introduction:
A stunning sight can now be seen from space – a mountain of discarded clothing in Chile. Over the years, the Atacama plateau in Chile has turned into a dumping ground for faulty and used fashion items from the West, resulting in an increasingly toxic pile that reflects the leftovers of around 59,000 tons of clothing that arrives at Chile’s Iquique port annually. These images, obtained using SkyFi, a consumer app aiming to democratize space, shed light on the size and pollution caused by this mountain, emphasizing the urgent need for change in the fashion industry.
Body:
The growing and increasingly toxic pile of discarded clothes atop Chile’s Atacama desert plateau constitutes the leftovers from the roughly 59,000 tons of used and unsold clothing that arrives at Chile’s Iquique port each year from Europe, Asia, and the United States. It is a distressing sight that can now be observed from space, underscoring the urgent need for a transformation in the fashion industry. SkyFi, which aims to make satellite imagery and technology accessible to all, obtained these striking images.
Many of the clothing items left to decay in this mountain are made with synthetic fabrics or treated with chemicals, taking up to 200 years to biodegrade and leaving harmful substances such as carcinogenic Azo dyes and Phthalates used in faux leather in their wake, linked to conditions like ADHD, asthma, and diabetes. The geocoordinates of the dumpsite were located with the help of activists on the Discord communication platform, demonstrating the collective effort to address this environmental crisis.
The addiction to fast-fashion in the developed world, including America, has fueled a growing industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The market size for trendy, poorly made clothing has witnessed an increase from $106.42 billion to $122.98 billion in 2023. While some of the discarded clothing is bought by merchants in Chile’s capital, Santiago, as it flows into Iquique port from the developed world, a staggering 39,000 tons of unwanted items ultimately end up in the Atacama each year.
Although media often sheds light on child labor and slave wages in countries like China or Bangladesh within the clothing industry, the environmental impact at the end of the product lifecycle has only gained significant attention recently. Chile, through its Iquique port, has become a vital hub for reselling second-hand and unsold clothing across Latin America. However, due to hefty tariff costs, at least 39,000 tons of undesired garments remain in the free zone, as merchants hesitate to shoulder the expenses of relocating these clothes elsewhere.
Conclusion:
The emerging issue of the enormous discarded clothing mountain in Chile is a stark reminder of the environmental consequences caused by the fast-fashion industry. As this mountain of waste becomes visible even from space, urgent action is needed to address this global problem. The combination of increased awareness, sustainable fashion practices, and responsible consumer choices is key to rectifying this issue and ensuring a more sustainable future for our planet.
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