Thousands of tonnes of discarded clothing are polluting Atacama Desert, but a recycling project aims to turn waste into mattress materials.

Santiago

Large amounts of textile waste have accumulated in Chile's Atacama Desert, much of it from imported second-hand clothing that cannot be resold. This waste is often illegally burned or dumped, causing environmental harm. In response, Chile has introduced a producer responsibility law mandating that companies importing or producing textiles must register and recycle a set percentage of their waste.

Recycling initiatives, such as converting unsellable clothing into mattress components, are being developed to comply with the new regulations. The law also requires certification to ensure increasing amounts of textile waste are recycled, encouraging the growth of a circular economy and reducing environmental contamination.

Chile battles textile waste with new producer recycling law

Tons of textile residue cakes the ground of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Some is still distinguishable, but most has been destroyed by slum dwellers who are paid a pittance to burn it in these illegal dumping grounds. Chile imports more than 120,000 tons of second-hand clothes, most of which arrives at the duty-free zone in the port of Iquique. The best bits are re-exported or sold to stores. But much of what's in these bags is worthless. What can't be sold in this second-hand clothes market in Alto Hospicio is disposed of in the desert. Sadly, it contaminates the environment. We should have a place to put all this, or a way to recycle it. Fortunately, a solution is in the making. Day and night, workers sort through tons of second-hand clothes at this importer, taking care to separate the least valuable items so they can be reborn as a key component of spring mattresses. It's a model that's existed in Turkey for more than 25 years, and it's 100% an example of a circular economy. We're generating jobs and at the same time a new product. We already have orders from abroad. In the middle of the desert, the Recitex factory is being built at lightning speed. It should be ready to start producing insular layers for mattresses by November, while the raw material piles up. There is everything you can possibly imagine here, from shorts to jogging pants, underwear. This leather jacket, for example, all of this weighs 15 tons, and it's just a tiny portion of what's thrown into the desert. When you spread it out, it would cover something like 200 acres. This and other recycling projects are springing up out of enlightened self-interest, made necessary by Chile's new producer responsibility law. Any person or company that produces or imports textiles must register in the Pollutant Emissions and Transfer Registry. They are obliged to recycle an estimated percentage of the waste they import. The law will require certification that an increasingly large percentage of textile waste is indeed being recycled, a method that will hopefully transform rubbish into riches. Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera, Altospicio, Chile.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would ask the Republican-controlled Congress to extend federal control of Washington's city police force beyond 30 days, escalating his campaign to exert presidential power over the nation's capital.

Washington

Trump wants to extend federal control over Washington police

With just hours left to reach a deal on plastics, negotiators in Geneva were scrambling to resolve a deadlock caused by “red lines” of member countries. Nations are crafting the first global, legally binding treaty on plastics pollution at the United Nations office in Switzerland.

Geneva

Global plastics treaty talks in Geneva stall as deadline looms

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Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israeli strikes pound Gaza ahead of planned ground offensive

America's NATO allies stood firmly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The European leaders showed a united front that there should be no peace deal without Ukraine's involvement.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

NATO allies stand with Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin summit

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must improve conditions for detainees at New York's 26 Federal Plaza, a judge ruled Tuesday.

New York

Judge rules ICE must improve conditions for detainees at NY facility

National Guard troops arrived in Washington, D.C., following President Donald Trump's deployment and federalization of local police to crack down on crime in the nation's capital.

National Guard troops arrive in Washington, D.C.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had a "very good call" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, days before his scheduled Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump had 'very good call' with Zelenskyy ahead of Putin meeting

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Israeli military chief approves 'framework' for new Gaza offensive

President Donald Trump said Wednesday there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to stop the Ukraine war after Friday’s summit.

Trump warns of 'severe consequences' if Russia doesn't stop war

A Wisconsin woman on Tuesday was found guilty in the United Kingdom of trying to kill a man at point-blank range in 2019. Aimee Betro, 45, was part of a plot with two other co-conspirators to murder Sikander Ali, prosecutors said.

Birmingham

American woman found guilty of UK murder-for-hire plot

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Madrid

Historic heat fuels fires across Europe

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Brussels

EU leaders rally behind Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin talks

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Trump claims 'land swapping' between Russia, Ukraine will happen

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Taylor Swift announces new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl'

U.S. President Donald Trump said that his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday will be to "feel out" the leader as pressure mounts for Russia and Ukraine to make a peace deal.

Trump to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday

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Alaska

Europe frozen out as U.S. and Russia prepare for Alaska talks

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Kyiv and Moscow will both have to cede land to end the war in Ukraine and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week will instantly show whether the Kremlin leader is willing to make a deal.

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A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, who had previously been threatened by Israel, was killed along with four colleagues and another journalist in an Israeli airstrike in an attack condemned by journalists and rights groups.

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At last one person is dead, dozens are injured and two people are unaccounted for after an explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton plant in Pennsylvania on Monday.

Clairton

At least 1 dead, dozens injured in U.S. Steel plant explosion

President Donald Trump has placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and announced he's activating the National Guard to combat crime in Washington, D.C.

Trump deploying National Guard to Washington, D.C.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is thanking European leaders for backing his push to join this week's Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, insisting an end to the war must be fair.

Trump and Putin set to meet on Friday without Zelenskyy

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Ukraine fights for a seat at the table ahead of Trump-Putin summit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending his decision to keep fighting in Gaza, despite protests at home and abroad. Debora Patta has the latest.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Netanyahu defends plan to expand war in Gaza

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Anchorage

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Milwaukee

Milwaukee inundated with floodwaters, one dead in Nebraska

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Major fires continue to burn across western U.S.

President Donald Trump's envoy met with the Qatari prime minister on Saturday in Spain to discuss possible deals to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as Israel's military plans to expand into Gaza City. Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages and Palestinians alike are pleading for peace.

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Israeli anti-government protesters take to the streets in Tel Aviv

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Breakdown