CHILE‘s Atacama Desert has become polluted with tones of discarded clothes, sparking major health concerns.
Satellite images taken above the desert capture the fast-growing mountains of discarded clothes.
Satellite photo and video app SkyFi shared the piles of clothes dumped in the Chilean Desert, which is believed to be roughly 59,000 tons of used and unsold clothing that arrive at the Iquique Port each year coming from Asia, Europe, and the United States.
And whatever clothing cannot be resold in South America will be dumped in the Atacama Desert.
The massive accumulation of clothes is caused by the fast fashion industry, contributing to the estimated 92 million tons of waste produced annually.
Approximately 59,000 tons of clothes arrive each year, and the mountain continues to grow by 39,000 tons annually.
Experts say that it can take up to 200 years for the clothes to biodegrade, and most of them contain synthetic fabrics.
The giant pile further sparked health concerns as the textiles pollute the nearby water sources and soil with toxic chemicals.
