Staggering volume of discarded school uniforms in Scotland shown through Kelpies image

This image shows the amount of wearable school uniforms thrown away in Scotland alongside The Kelpies.

With the average school uniform consisting of 32 per cent polyester or similar synthetic fibres, that’s the equivalent of 25 tonnes of plastic going to landfill each year.

The image is one of a series commissioned by leading name label manufacturer My Nametags to demonstrate the waste caused by school uniforms alone in each region of the UK.

The Scottish figure makes up seven per cent of the 354 tonnes of uniform discarded annually across the UK and it highlights a worrying environmental problem caused by people’s throwaway attitude to clothing.

Lars B Andersen, managing director at My Nametags, said: “Everyday we help parents ensure that their children don’t lose their school uniform and we were interested to see what happens to this school uniform once it has been outgrown.

"It was shocking to find that the uniform is needlessly thrown away, despite parents being careful to ensure it doesn’t get lost.

"With more and more clothing being made from synthetic fibres including plastic, such as polyester, this throwaway attitude to children’s clothes is having a significant impact on the environment.

"To put this waste problem into perspective we have calculated what it would look like stacked up against one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks, the Kelpies, which we hope will make everyone think twice before needlessly throwing away items of clothing.”

The figures were revealed following research conducted amongst 2000 UK parents and the amount of plastic waste per uniform was calculated using the average polyester content of a boy’s school uniform (aged ten) from leading supermarket brands.