Can compostable undies prevent waste?
Clothes are often difficult to recycle and fill up landfills because they contain blended fabrics and plastics.Some you can at least donate, repurpose, or swap — but typically not used underwear, ~11m pounds of which wind up in landfills daily.
So, what can be done?
Old underwear can be repurposed as padding, which D2C brands Knickey and Parade do with their takebacks.
But because demand for such materials is low, some companies are turning to compostable unmentionables, per Bloomberg.
LA-based Kent has sold 17.5k pairs since 2020.They’re made from long-lasting pima cotton, and retail for ~$25 per pair.You can compost them yourself or mail them to Kent to compost them for you. Research found they break down in ~90 days.