NEW analysis reveals that parents in the North are throwing away 350,000 wearable school uniforms each year, simply because they are outgrown.
The average uniform is made up of 32 per cent polyester, or similar synthetic fibres, which is equivalent of 87 tonnes of plastic going to landfill each year.
This figure makes up 25 per cent of the 354 tonnes of uniform discarded annually across the country, and highlights a worrying environmental statistic across the region caused by a potential throwaway attitude to clothing.
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To put this into perspective, leading name label manufacturer, My Nametags, commissioned a series of images to demonstrate the size of this waste.
The image shows the waste next to iconic local landmarks, including the Angel of the North.
In Cumbria, a lot of families use, and are encouraged to recycle school clothes via clothes banks or donate outgrown uniform back into the school system for others to use.
It is also common practice for a uniform to be handed down between siblings.
Local Green Party councillor, Jill Perry talked about the issue in our region: "The amount of clothing waste in the uk is quite shocking, and school uniforms are easily reused because they are often outgrown before they are worn out," she said.
"Some schools have uniform reuse arrangements and I’d encourage all our local schools to set them up.
"There’s no stigma in wearing pre-loved clothes."
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