Customers shop at the renovated Goodwill store and ‘Loft’ Boutique on W. San Carlos St. in San Jose, California, on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. In California it’s relatively easy to recycle aluminum cans, newspapers, or glass bottles. But for one of the most commonly used household products — clothes — options are few.
“All across America there are closets full of clothing that never gets worn,” said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, an environmental group based in Sacramento that supports the bill. “It is surrounding us. Look around your house. It’s the biggest waste problem that we’re ignoring.”
The bill is the latest in a trend where California lawmakers are increasingly requiring companies that make difficult-to-dispose-of products to take responsibility for recycling and reusing them, rather than leaving the cost and hassle up to local city and county governments. “If I produce something as a manufacturer, I have a responsibility to participate in the full life cycle of that product, with the goal of minimizing the impact on the environment,” Newman said.
“The biggest challenge is that apparel brands are not waste management providers,” said Chelsea Murtha, the association’s senior director of sustainability. “This isn’t their area of expertise. Building out a system that doesn’t exist in a state this big is going to be a challenge. It’s ambitious. We are hopeful we can rise to the challenge.”
The industry has not been pleased to see many old clothes ending up in landfills or waste piles in African and South America, Murtha added.Dear Abby: Our door latch has become a huge issue, and I'm ready to leave my marriageAsking Eric: I let the car thief take the fall for my drugs. All these years later, can I fix things?