Americans are sending millions of tons of used clothing to the Global South each year, often believing they are helping the planet by donating items they no longer need. In reality, a large portion of these donations ends up as waste in developing nations.
Where the clothes go
The United States leads the world in the export of secondhand clothing, accounting for nearly 18 percent of global exports by value. An estimated 700,000 metric tons of used clothing leaves the country annually. Much of this textile waste is shipped to West Africa, where it enters local markets.
In Accra, Ghana, the Kantamanto market is the largest secondhand clothing center in the region. It receives an estimated 15 million garments every week. The market handles a massive volume of imports, but a significant portion is unsellable. Roughly 40 percent of every bale imported into Kantamanto becomes waste immediately. This material is not recycled or composted. Instead, it is dumped in landfills, burned in the open air, or washed into storm drains and out to sea.
Local officials in Accra face a difficult challenge managing this volume. The Accra Metropolitan Assembly spends approximately $500,000 annually on waste collection and disposal from Kantamanto alone, yet it has the capacity to manage only about 70 percent of the market’s output. A significant amount of this waste is illegally disposed of in protected wetland areas.
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Research by the Or Foundation has found microplastic concentrations around Kantamanto market 10 times greater than urban averages in the European Union. Synthetic fibers from discarded fast fashion garments are entering the food chain through aquatic ecosystems. Local fishermen report that their nets are frequently entangled with clothing waste and that fish populations are declining in these waterways.
This dynamic illustrates a failure in how waste is managed globally. The United States has no federal regulation governing what quality of clothing can be exported. Exporters are not required to verify that donated clothing is wearable before shipping it overseas. This creates a gap where unwearable items are treated as a commodity rather than waste, simply because they can be moved to a place with fewer restrictions.
The impact on local life
The influx of waste alters the physical environment and threatens public health in Accra. The storm drains that usually carry rainwater away from the city are often blocked by mounds of discarded textiles. When it rains, floodwaters mixed with sewage and synthetic fibers spread across neighborhoods. Residents wade through these contaminated waters daily.
Traders at Kantamanto bear the physical burden of this excess. The market operates without the proper ventilation to handle such a high volume of fabric. The heat and humidity trapped by the textiles create a breeding ground for bacteria. The massive fire in January 2025 destroyed about 80 percent of the market, affecting more than 2,000 businesses and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of traders.
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Systemic gaps and possible solutions
Current laws in the United States do not address what happens after clothing leaves the country. California passed the Responsible Textile Recovery Act in 2024. This law establishes an extended producer responsibility framework. It requires fashion brands to fund textile collection and recycling programs. However, the law does not address what happens to exports.
Federal regulators should establish minimum quality standards for secondhand clothing exports. If secondhand clothing is not wearable, it should be ineligible for export. Exporting worthless clothing to countries with weaker waste management infrastructure is not a waste-eliminating practice. It is waste transfer. Two things need to happen to fix this system.
Nearly 4 million metric tons of used clothing are traded globally each year, with much of this clothing winding up in countries that lack the infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and waste management systems needed to handle it safely. Every purchase of a $5 garment designed to last three wears is a vote for a system that eventually deposits its waste on a beach in Accra or a landfill in Nairobi.