Buy More and Throw Away Faster – How It’s Ruining Our Environment

In India, we have a rich tradition of valuing clothes—handwoven sarees passed down through generations, carefully maintained silk garments, and hand-stitched fabrics that last for years. But today, with the rise of fast fashion, this culture is changing. The idea of "buy more, throw away faster" has taken over, leading to waste, pollution, and severe environmental damage.

The Changing Shopping Habits

Earlier, people invested in quality clothing like cotton, silk, and handloom fabrics made to last. Now, cheap, machine-made clothes flood the market.

Online shopping and social media trends make people feel the need to constantly update their wardrobe.

Many garments are worn only a few times before being discarded, adding to massive textile waste. (Many of the individual having this habit)

The Growing Waste Problem

India generates over 1 million tons of textile waste annually, most of which ends up in landfills or is burned, releasing toxic gases.

In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, waste dumps are filled with discarded clothes, many of which are non-biodegradable. Since I am in Chennai (TN), I would like to highlight the city's specific waste management challenges. Many cheap fabrics, especially polyester and nylon, take hundreds of years to decompose, creating long-term environmental damage.

The Greater Chennai Corporation manages approximately 5,400 metric tons of solid waste daily, with residential areas contributing 68% of this total. The city utilizes two primary landfill sites:

• Kodungaiyur: Covering around 269 acres, this site has been operational for over 35 years and receives about 2,600 to 2,800 metric tons of waste daily.
• Perungudi: Spanning approximately 200 acres, in use for more than 30 years, it handles 2,400 to 2,600 metric tons of waste each day :(

Water Pollution and Scarcity

The textile industry is one of the largest polluters of Indian rivers, especially in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Punjab, where dyeing units dump untreated chemicals into water bodies.

The Ganga and Yamuna rivers, already struggling with pollution, receive waste from textile industries, affecting both aquatic life and human health.

Cotton farming, which supports the Indian textile industry, requires huge amounts of water—producing just one cotton shirt takes 2,700 liters, putting pressure on India’s already scarce water resources.

Synthetic Fabrics and Microplastic Pollution

Many modern clothes are made from polyester, acrylic, and nylon, which shed microplastics when washed.

These tiny plastic particles enter India’s lakes, rivers, and oceans, harming marine life and even coming back into our food through fish and seafood.

Since India has a huge coastline, plastic pollution from textile waste is becoming a serious concern.

Air Pollution and Carbon Emissions

The fashion industry contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions, and in India, coal-powered textile mills add to air pollution.

The burning of textile waste, common in many areas, releases toxic fumes that harm both the environment and public health.

Indian cities, already dealing with high pollution levels, are further impacted by industrial waste from textile factories.

Our traditional approach to clothing was sustainable as handwoven, long-lasting, and deeply valued. But today, the "throwaway culture" of fast fashion is harming India’s environment, polluting our rivers, air, and soil. If we continue down this path, the damage will be irreversible. It’s time to rethink our choices before fashion turns into an environmental disaster.