REFERENCE DESK
A straightforward collection of the latest federal figures available on what happens to clothing and textiles after use. Built for anyone who needs a number they can trace back to the source.
Last updated October 8, 2026 · U.S. data
AT A GLANCE
Reuse happens before an item enters the waste stream, which means its impact is not neatly captured by recycling totals. That distinction matters. These figures show the scale of discarded textiles while keeping the boundaries of each source visible.
17 million tons
That was 5.8% of all municipal solid waste generated that year. EPA counts textiles broadly, including discarded clothing as well as items such as towels, sheets, carpet and footwear.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, 2018 data ↗14.7%
EPA reports 2.5 million tons of textiles recycled. This measure does not count garments that were donated or resold for reuse before they became waste.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, 2018 data ↗11.3 million tons
EPA says this represented 7.7% of all municipal solid waste landfilled that year.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, 2018 data ↗13 million tons
In EPA terminology, generated means the material reached the waste-management system. It does not include clothing still in use, donated or resold.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Facts and Figures frequent questions, 2018 data ↗9.1 million tons
EPA also reports a 13% recycling rate for clothing and footwear that year. The figures are specifically for clothing and footwear, rather than all textiles.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Facts and Figures frequent questions, 2018 data ↗$285.2 billion
This Census figure covers NAICS 448 retail establishments, which primarily sell new clothing and accessories from fixed locations. It is market context, not a measure of the resale market.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Integrated Economic Survey, 2024 ↗WHAT THE DATA DOES, AND DOES NOT, SAY
EPA textile figures track material once it reaches the municipal waste system. A shirt bought secondhand, passed along or kept in rotation stays outside that count until it is discarded. That is why a low recycling rate should not be used as a measure of all secondhand activity.
For one-of-one resale, the useful idea is simpler: extending the useful life of a good piece keeps it in use before waste handling becomes the question. 1118 Emporium does not claim to measure the impact of any individual purchase.
Browse apparelMETHODOLOGY & SOURCES
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the primary source for the textile and clothing figures above. Its latest material-specific municipal waste data are for calendar year 2018. The retail figure comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey.
Every statistic links directly to its source. Figures are kept in their original units or shown as a clearly labelled conversion, such as $285.2 billion from Census data reported in thousands of dollars. This page will be reviewed when a key source releases newer data.
CITE THIS PAGE
1118 Emporium. “U.S. Textile Reuse & Clothing Waste Statistics.” Updated October 8, 2026. https://1118emporium.com/textile-reuse-statistics.
ONE-OF-ONE, STILL IN PLAY