A satellite image taken above Chile’s Atacama Desert captures ever-growing mountains of discarded clothes as the problem of fast fashion persists.
The photo, shared last month by the satellite photo and video app SkyFi, highlights the result of the roughly 59,000 tons of used and unsold clothing that arrive at Chile’s Iquique port each year from the US, Europe, and Asia.
Whatever can’t be resold across South America joins the desert dumpsite to slowly decay.
It can take up to 200 years for many of these items to biodegrade, as most are made with synthetic fabrics or treated with chemicals.
