We live in a throw-away society. Fashion companies would love nothing more than for you to throw away a garment the moment it looses a button and replace it with a new one. Unfortunately this results in approximately 12 million tons of textile waste (clothing) going to landfills each year, and that is only in North America.

But you can help cut down on this amount of waste by following these three simple steps:

1. Mend.
Fix any garments which are repairable by sewing on new buttons, patching holes, etc.
Click here to view a funny video on how to sew a button.
Click here to view a video on how to sew a hole in a sweater.

2. Donate
Find a locale organization or clothing bank, like the Salvation Army, that will accept flawed or damaged garments.
If in Canada, click here for a list of organizations in your area.

3. Salvage
If the garment is completely destroyed and must be thrown out, see if there is anything that is salvageable on the garment, like the buttons for example. I have a box full of spare buttons (among other things) which were taken from old garments – you never know when a spare button could come in handy. Sometimes I even keep old t-shirts to use to make patches for other garments.

So why not give it a try? Not only will you be helping to save the environment, but you’ll also be saving money in the long run as well!