An average of 7% of discarded textiles are recycled in SWFL and the remainder is landfilled or incinerated. This does not account for textiles collected in roadside “recycling” bins. These items are largely resold overseas by “for-profit” businesses which can wreak havoc on the environment and their local economies.

Dumpster VVitch Coalition (placeholder name) aims to change the fashion industry by redefining textile waste and forming a local solution. We will do this through education, reducing consumption through clothing swaps, outsourcing excellent quality items to local organizations, repurposing damaged goods, reselling secondhand materials, uplifting and inspiring local creators, and providing a market space for sustainable vendors.

Vision Statement

Dumpster VVitch Coalition (Placeholder name) would like to see a sustainable system normalized across communities that reduces new consumption of fashion, values education in fiber arts and locally redistributes and reuses discarded textiles.

History

This organization was inspired by the large amount of clothing and textiles salvaged out of dumpsters in South Florida. Kaylee Rouse got to work in 2021 with their project “Dumpster VVitch Clothing” which focused of compiling and recreating dumpster textiles into new wearable goods. Later that year, community members began donating their own discarded items to the cause. Kaylee was inspired by the creativity and upcycling talents of individuals locally and online. This led them to the concept of a “textile thrift store” that promotes individual creators and circularity. Kaylee says this concept began “snowballing” immediately after. “It makes sense to provide sustainable and affordable materials as well as education, marketing, and retail space to fully empower the artists. Especially after learning the implications of our waste, it is crucial to create a system to locally reuse the materials we can.”