[GreenYes] Ban on landfilling clothing proposed

["Reindl, John" <Reindl@no.address>]

For your information 

A federal environmental agency in Norway has proposed banning the landfilling of clothing.
Noting that people are buying increased quantities of clothes -- which are being discarded at higher rates than before -- the agency also notes that paradoxically, clothing made of natural fibers contribute more to the generation of methane gas in landfills than do articles made of synthetic fibers. The Norwegian Pollution Control Agency (SFT) is proposing that this ban go into effect in 2009 and is primarily based on the global climate change impact of methane that is released from landfills. According to an article in Norway's largest newspaper, clothing is estimated to comprise 8% of all decomposable waste landfilled in the country, and the ban on the disposal of clothing would be part of a larger ban on the disposal of other decomposables. 

John Reindl, Recycling Manager
Dane County, WI