The world’s biggest “floordrobe” can be seen from space as a 60,000 tonne dump of clothes spreads across the middle of a Chilean desert.
The shocking landfill site has grown gradually over time, but it is now so big it has been spotted by a satellite.
Jam Press/SkyFiThe satellite image shows that the giant dumpsite of clothes can be seen from space[/caption]
Jam Press/SkyFiChristmas sweaters and ski boots are among the items that have been spotted[/caption]
Chile’s Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth, and is now a dumping ground of unworn clothes that couldn’t be sold and used garments.
An image of the dumpsite shows abandoned Christmas sweaters and ski boots among the items left to rot.
The high-resolution satellite image, captured by the photo app, Skyfi, reveal the horrifying extent of the dumpsite.
The pictures highlight the devastating results of the roughly 60,000 tonnes of clothing that has arrived at Chile’s Iquique port each year from the US, Europe, and Asia.
Whatever can’t be resold across South America joins the desert wasteland to slowly decay.
Skyfi found the coordinates of the mountain by reaching out to people on the communication platform, Discord.
A spokesperson for SkyFi said: “The satellite image that we ordered of the clothes pile in Chile’s Atacama Desert really puts things into perspective.
”The size of the pile and the pollution it’s causing is visible from space, making it clear that there is a need for change in the fashion industry.”
According to the New York Post, SkyFi said it obtained the image for £34.
The garments that are slowly filling the desert – which receives less than 1mm of rain a year each year – pollute nearby water sources and soil with toxic chemicals during the decomposition process.
An estimated 39,000 tonnes of unwanted clothes are added to the mountain of garments each year.
The fast-fashion market size is said to be increasing from £83billion to £96billion in 2023, according to a report by The Business Research Company.
This comes after a though-provoking image was shared in 2021 which showed the huge amount of clothing that is binned every five minutes in the UK.
But the mass of garments in the photo is just a drop in the ocean compared to the 350,000 tonnes of clothing binned every year in the UK – with £2.7 billion spent on outfits worn once before being discarded.