Dropping-off my daughter to school one day, we noticed a tiny hole in her stockings. The day after the next one when the stocking came back into circulation after a wash, we saw the hole had become a tiny-bit bigger.
The next time the cleft had expanded such that my daughter who was learning about radius and diameter in school, proudly exclaimed, “Papa, I measured the hole’s “diameter” – it has grown to about an inch!”
This sparked off a clothes hunt at home with my daughter slinging an old cloth bag across her shoulder and going off to find a sock with a hole, a T-shirt with a rip or trousers with a tear.
By evening that day, what she had got amazed us.
There were 7 torn socks, 8 shirts whose collars had frayed into oblivion, 5 jeans that had tattered at the heels, 8 kerchiefs whose laces had come-off thanks to excessive ironing, 2 dis-coloured bedsheets and 4 T-shirts that had ripped, ostensibly because the wearer wanted to get into a two-size smaller fit. Don’t ask me why!
7 + 8 + 5 + 8 + 2 + 4 = 34
She had gathered a sum total of 34 garments and bedsheets, which made mom exclaim, “Aa su che? Did these even exist?”
Now the next ordeal began.
Could these old and used clothes be cut to size for use as cleaning rags?
We opened the closet that held such “items”. Zillions of pieces dropped out like waterfall. Seemed we were well-stocked on rags!
Could these be washed, repaired, renewed and given to the maid?
“No thank you, bai.” It seemed our maid was on Amazon and also had a running membership of Big Bazaar!
Could these be given to the kabadiwala?
“Hum kya karenge isko leke saab?” “Le jao”, I persisted, “Dekhlo bhai, kaam ayega.” The last I saw he had taken the old newspapers, magazines and even the odd broken down telephone. But the clothes bag remain untouched.
Could these be given to a garments retail store?
“Huh”, the wife guffawed. “Imagine walking into a high-street store with this bag.”
But this is exactly what my daughter and I decided to do.
So we went to a store codenamed “L” (no, I’m not telling you which!) and approached the cashier. We presented our case – and the bag. He looked incredulous. We got the hint.
Next we went to “W”. They said there was no such “policy” but yes, they were offering some great discounts on shirts, jeans and T-shirts. Would we be interested?
Weary, we crawled into “H”. The glitzy interiors did all the talking. Still, we trudged to the front desk.
“Sure sir, you can drop your bag of unwanted garments in the recycle box there. We welcome all textiles, of all brands, in any condition. We believe these can be either re-worn, reused or recycled. After you do so, please come back here.”
So down went our socks, worn-out shirts and dis-coloured bedsheets into the recycle box. It was overflowing with old and unused garments.
But what would “H” do with this refuse?
Many things, we heard.
They would send these to their sorting plants where they would be hand-sorted into 300 – yes, 300! – categories.
Thereafter, most would end up thus:
Double wow!!
With that we brought a brand new hoodie sweater for the wife. She became a believer!
Triple wow!!!
We now know where the hoodie sweater will end up two years down the line…
PS: The high fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater and contributes to 10% of worldwide carbon emissions…
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