- Anna Zwettler
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UK-based energy comparison company SaveOnEnergy has found that one
positive aspect of the coronavirus pandemic is a consumer change in
attitude towards old textiles and recycling clothes.
In January of this year, the European countries contributing the most to
textile waste were revealed, with Italy taking the lead, followed by
Portugal and Austria.
SaveOnEnergy is now reporting a surge of environmental consciousness, as
people turn to recycling centers to dispose of unwanted items. The British
cleaning service End of Tenancy Cleaning has recently relayed a 500 percent
increase in Google searches related to recycling, including the question
“when will recycling centers reopen”.
Research commissioned by the energy company found that, in the last 30
days, 12,670 people in Ireland have been engaging in Google searches
related to “clothes recycling”, making it the most recycling-minded country
in the EU. Germany and the Netherlands also showed high results, with 9,390
and 6,840 recycling searches, respectively.
The other side of the spectrum includes European countries who searched
information on recycling clothes the least. The research showed that
residents in Luxembourg, Slovenia and Slovakia did not seem to prioritize
recycling, with only 330, 300 and 270 Google searches.
SaveOnEnergy also found that shoes and jeans are the items that are
recycled most frequently within the European countries included in the
research. More specifically, shoes are the most recycled product in 70
percent of the 10 countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain,
while jeans are most commonly recycled in 30 percent of the 10 countries,
including Germany, France and Italy.
Photo Credit: Wearable Collections, SaveOnEnergy
