A huge mountain of discarded clothing is accumulating in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, highlighting the growing environmental impact of the global fast-fashion and second-hand clothing trade.
Chile receives around 60,000 tonnes of used clothing every year, much of it entering through the free trade zone of Iquique. While a portion of the garments is sorted and resold, clothing that fails to find buyers can end up abandoned or dumped in landfills near Alto Hospicio in the Tarapacá Region.
Satellite images have captured the scale of the textile waste, with enormous piles of clothes, shoes and other garments covering parts of the desert landscape.
Why is so much clothing ending up in the Atacama?
The port and free trade zone of Iquique have become major entry points for used clothing and textile surpluses from the United States, Europe and Asia. After arriving in Chile, the garments are sorted based on their potential for resale.
However, items with little or no commercial value may be discarded instead of being reused. Some of the clothing reaching the desert is not even second-hand. Production surpluses and unsold garments, including pieces still carrying their original tags, can also become part of the waste stream.
The problem has intensified alongside the rapid growth of low-cost clothing production and consumption associated with fast fashion.
Environmental risks
The growing textile waste is more than a visual problem. Many modern garments contain synthetic fibres that can persist in the environment for long periods.
Discarded clothing can accumulate in large quantities and is difficult to remove or process. Burning textile waste can also release pollutants, adding to the environmental damage.
The accumulation is particularly striking because the Atacama is one of the driest regions on Earth and is known for its unique desert ecosystem. The presence of enormous textile dumps has transformed parts of the landscape into a symbol of the environmental cost of excessive clothing production and consumption.
The growing waste mountain highlights the need for stronger systems for textile reuse, recycling and responsible disposal. Without better management of unsold and discarded clothing, the global fashion industry could continue shifting its waste burden to vulnerable landscapes far from where the garments were originally produced and consumed.