Some months into the pandemic, news outlets began reporting on the ineffectiveness of cloth masks. \u201cTime to chuck the cloth!\u201d they warned. I read on, slightly horrified. While I understand the health and safety benefits of N95 masks and alike, the idea of throwing out my beautiful, handmade cloth masks was devastating. Not only because of my attachment to them (we\u2019ve been through several lockdowns and countless grocery runs together), but also because of my commitment to the classic adage: reduce, reuse, recycle.<\/p>\n
I became determined to repurpose my masks in some way, rather than simply trash them with my general waste. I brainstormed ideas of how to upcycle them \u2014 maybe I could combine them into an oddly shaped quilt? My friend suggested fashioning them into a bikini \u2014 \u201cThey\u2019re the perfect shape and size!\u201d she enthused. I may be enthusiastic about saving the environment, but I was a little uneasy about this skimpy suggestion.<\/p>\n
I face a similar issue whenever I notice I have too many clothes in my closet and not enough hangers. Yes, I could simply
\nbuy more hangers, but I try to stick to a downsized wardrobe and recycle what I no longer need, taking the clothes I don\u2019t wear to a charity shop. But donating clothes has its own consequences: charity shops have become the new landfill sites, and while some shops commit to recycling the textile waste they receive and can\u2019t sell, many other shops do not.<\/p>\n