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Kirakowski said the survey showed the need for policy measures aimed at the fashion industry Alamy Stock Photo

What happens to your old or unwanted clothes?

A recent EPA survey has highlighted how clothing habits differ among people in Ireland.

NEW RESEARCH FROM the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has highlighted patterns in Irish people’s clothes-buying habits.

The survey revealed age-based differences in shopping frequency, with young adults purchasing new clothing at least a few times a month. Meanwhile, almost half of those over 55 only buy new items every few months.

In response to the EPA’s findings, Tad Kirakowski, chief executive of environmental NGO Voice, said: “There’s a real disconnect between our attitudes and what we’re actually doing.”

Kirakowski added that greater transparency around what happens to clothing sent to clothes banks – many of which end up in landfill rather than being reused or recycled – could help shape shopping and disposal habits.

So, with that, we’re asking: What happens to your old or unwanted clothes?


Poll Results:

I donate to charity shops (3441)
I put them in the clothes bank (2816)
I tend to not get rid of clothes (594)
I pass on to family/friends (370)
I throw them away (294)
I sell them (205)
I get rid of them a different way (147)

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