The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.108)

2019 • 03 30 ocal News T o “see off the old and welcome the new”, especially at the start of the New Year, is a deeply-rooted belief among the Chinese community. In conjunction with the Lunar New Year, almost all Tzu Chi recycling centres across Malaysia saw a surge in contributions of second- hand clothes from the public, particularly the Tzu Chi Kuantan Recycling Education Centre, which received an astounding amount of nearly 15 tons of second-hand clothes. The pollution caused by the textile industry is the world’s second-most severe environmental concern after the production and consumption of plastic products. In recent years, the rise of fast fashion has resulted in an exponential increase in the rate at which garments are being discarded, as attested to by the alarming volume of second-hand clothes collected by the Tzu Chi Kuantan Recycling Education Centre. The Centre was filled to capacity with piles of second-hand clothes, leaving the volunteers in disbelief at the sheer amount of discarded garments. Almost 20 volunteers were mobilized to transfer all 15 tons of second-hand clothes into a 20 feet-long container truck to be sent to Kuala Lumpur for recycling. According to volunteer Chong Choy Lin, the volume of second-hand clothes collected was already beyond the capacity of the second-hand dealers in Kuantan. Most people buy clothes out of desire or impulse rather than necessity. Volunteer Yap Heng Kooi observed that when sorting through the second-hand clothes, many of them were found to be brand-new. “This implies that we are depleting a substantial amount of the Earth’s resources in our pursuit to fulfil our insatiable desires.” Behind the startling figures lies a cautionary warning that recycling merely serves to reduce the consumption of resources, and does not address the root cause of the problem. Only by curbing our desires and consumption habits would we be able to stop damaging the Earth. Second-hand Clothes Piling Up at Recycling Centre Kuantan 2019.01.31 Translated by Lee Hui Yieng Compiled by Ng Cau Hong Photograph by Liew Min Yu Watch the video news here: