Taiwan's old clothing problem is continuing to grow. According to the latest statistics, nearly 82,000 metric tons of clothing are discarded across Taiwan each year, which translates to about 500 items of clothing entering the waste system every minute on average. The rapid new-arrival pace of fast fashion is considered the main driving force, as the clothing replacement cycle has been greatly compressed, and the volume of secondhand clothing has surged accordingly.

Faced with this situation, secondhand clothing platforms have taken on the role of "middlemen." The report points out that through strict screening and disinfection processes, platforms allow old clothes that still have use value to re-enter the circulation chain, extending the life cycle of clothing and, to a certain extent, reducing textile waste that would otherwise go directly to incineration or landfill.

Policy-level actions are also worth noting. Taiwan's Resource Circulation Administration under the Ministry of Environment has led the establishment of the "Textile Circular Alliance," attempting to connect resources scattered across various stages, from the source design of fabrics and ready-made garments all the way through to post-consumer recycling and disposal, ultimately achieving a "clothing to clothing" closed-loop circular economy model.

For the old clothing trade industry, the significance of this case lies in the fact that when local discard volumes remain high and the recycling system begins to become institutionalized, the sorting, disinfection, and re-circulation of secondhand clothing will form a clearer industrial division of labor. The two paths of platform screening and government alliance running in parallel may provide a reference governance model for reducing textile waste.

Source: Taiwan Discards 82,000 Tons of Clothing Annually, 500 Items Per Minute Become Garbage! | China Press · Originally published on 2026-09-19