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Donating clothes is contributing to Africa's 'mitumba' problem
Establishing robust recycling infrastructure in Africa will demand support from both the public and private sectors.
If you’ve donated clothing to a local charity or tossed your stained shirts in a drop-off bin, chances are your discarded items will be dumped in Africa, winding up in landfills, water and eventually breaking down into microplastics. Fabric recycling is a multifaceted process, requiring advanced chemistry for cleaning, funding for technology developments in artificial intelligence to identify and sort fiber blends, and mechanical engineering to transform old tees into new materials. As the African Growth and Opportunity Act approaches its 25th anniversary, now is the time to ensure that its reauthorization upholds its original intent: Reduce trade barriers and foster economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, not stifle it.
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