Did you know that depending on what county you live in, that the average monthly disposal in local landfills of clothing and textiles is anywhere from 200-400 bags. Also, every year people who recycle textile (clothing, including jeans) removes 2.5 billion pounds of consumer clothing waste which would be in landfills. This is an average of 10 pounds per American. Both the average person living in a home, (That would be you and me.) and store owners have 3 options on disposing clothing.
One, pass it to someone in need, two, trash it, and three, recycle it! I will be the first to admit, when I hear the word “recycle” I think, bottles, papers, and cans. Who’d ever think about recycling those old worn out jeans. Many years ago nothing was wasted. Every bit of left over food, and every bit of clothing was put to use. Today American’s are quick to trash things, with the attitude of “If it breaks, I’ll buy a new one.” Things are changing though, and people are starting to take a second look at saving our planet. With how much trash is made from denim jeans, we’d like to do our part and show you some fun projects you can make from those jeans instead of throwing them away. If you recycle a big heavy trash bag of jeans, by the time you are done making projects, you may only have a lunch bag full of waistbands and belt loops.
Years ago it was un-cool to have “hand me down” clothes. Today thrift stores are thriving! It’s cool to go retro and vintage. So never throw jeans away! Give them away to someone in need or send them off to a thrift store. If they are too damage, then have fun recycling them into awesome projects. Many people use old jeans to make new crafts and sell them. Denim is a strong firm fabric that holds up well. It can be turned into many different projects for the home, as well as other apparel. Denim makes a great canvas for painting on too. Many items can made and used from your old jeans like, bags, hats, camera cases, vests, scarecrow, crafts, pillows, bibs, and much more.
Still even after all of this about 145 billion pounds of recyclable clothing still ends up in landfills every year. This can be drastically reduced if we all pitch in and either donate or recycle our clothing.
We all know the wonderful feeling is it when you find a great pair of jeans that fit your body just right. And you know those jeans look good on you too. You’ll wear them until either they fall apart, or you grow out of them. Everyone owns at least one pair of jeans, and why not. Their comfortable, stylish, and you can dress them up or down with your top, shoes, and accessories. According to studies, the number one apparel that has been produced in the United State for the last couple of years in a row is blue jeans! We buy over 450 million pairs a year! WOW. I know my family owns about 25 pairs on that list. So for what ever reason, if your jeans don’t fit, or can’t be used for anymore, don’t throw them away, recycle them.
We have many projects that your old jeans can be recycled into. Most of them are quick and easy to sew. Recycling old jeans is fun and a creative way to expand your crafting skills. Denim is a strong fabric that can hold up very well, making recycling a lot easier. Crafting, quilting, and fashion design projects can all be made from recycled blue jeans. Before you think about throwing away those old jeans, try a few Green alternatives. Recycle your used denim by turning them into some fun projects. They’re easy to sew and virtually free, since you already have most of the materials at home. So go ahead and start repurposing your jeans!
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