Last updated September 17, 2026
Clothes carry more history than a size tag can show. These figures put the scale of textile waste and reuse into focus, with the original source and date beside every number.
This page brings together U.S. municipal-waste data and European Commission figures. They describe different places and measures, so each statistic keeps its geography and source in view.
THE NUMBERS
The facts worth keeping close.
17M
tons of textiles entered the U.S. municipal waste stream
The estimate includes discarded clothing and other textiles. Reused textiles are not included in this waste-stream estimate.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated March 19, 2026, data year 201814.7%
of U.S. municipal-waste textiles were recycled
That equals 2.5 million tons of textiles recycled in 2018.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated March 19, 2026, data year 201811.3M
tons of U.S. textiles were sent to landfill
Textiles made up 7.7% of all U.S. municipal solid waste landfilled that year.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated March 19, 2026, data year 20183.2M
tons of U.S. textiles went to combustion with energy recovery
This was 9.3% of all municipal solid waste combusted with energy recovery.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated March 19, 2026, data year 20185M
tonnes of clothing are discarded in the EU each year
The European Commission describes this as about 12 kg of discarded clothing per person.
Source: European Commission, EU Textiles Strategy March 30, 20221%
of material used in clothing is recycled into new clothing
This figure refers to clothing materials globally, not all textile recycling activity.
Source: European Commission, EU Textiles Strategy March 30, 202220-35
jobs can be created per 1,000 tonnes collected for reuse
The figure is an EU estimate for collection directed to reuse.
Source: European Commission, EU Textiles Strategy March 30, 20224-9%
of unsold textiles in Europe are estimated to be destroyed before wear
The estimate covers unsold apparel, clothing accessories, and footwear.
Source: European Commission February 9, 20265.6M
tons of CO2 emissions are linked to destroyed unsold textiles in Europe
The estimate appears alongside the European Commission's 2026 action on unsold apparel.
Source: European Commission February 9, 2026WHY IT MATTERS
The next chapter is part of the value.
Reuse is not a tidy answer to every textile problem, and these figures should not be treated as interchangeable. They do show why an individual garment deserves a closer look before it is dismissed. Clear photographs, honest condition notes, and useful measurements make it easier for a shopper to choose a piece that stays in wear.
That is the small, practical case for a good secondhand find: keep a well-made piece useful, let its history be part of the appeal, and give somebody else a better way to find it.
Browse one-of-a-kind findsMETHODOLOGY & SOURCES
How to read this page.
Every figure above links to the public page that reports it. U.S. waste figures come from the Environmental Protection Agency's 2018 municipal solid waste dataset. European figures come from the European Commission's textiles strategy and 2026 action on unsold apparel. Source updates can change context or methodology, so the original publication is always the final word.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, updated March 19, 2026, data year 2018
- European Commission, EU Textiles Strategy, March 30, 2022
- European Commission, February 9, 2026
Cite this page
StyleMonky. "Textile Waste & Clothing Reuse Statistics." Updated September 17, 2026. https://stylemonky.com/textile-resale-statistics