In June 2022, Ángela Astudillo and colleagues discovered a massive clothes dump on fire in Chile’s Atacama Desert. This dump formed due to fast fashion and brutal consumerism that lacked sustainable waste practices, with imported clothing flooding in from various countries. Efforts by environmental advocates like the Dress Desert nonprofit aim to tackle this crisis, but challenges remain in holding producers accountable for their waste. A trial to address the landfill issues and improve recycling measures has been ongoing in Chile. The environmental impact of the textile landfill continues to pose threats to the community and ecosystem.
https://grist.org/international/burn-after-wearing-fashion-waste-chile/