One of the benefits of silk is that it's a biodegradable material. This means it can be broken down over time by bacteria alone.
Clothes made from natural fibers like silk, cashmere, cotton, hemp, and wool naturally decompose with time. Silk fabric, in particular, takes around 1 to 5 years to break down depending on the environment.
This process is much faster than the decomposition rate of synthetic textiles, which can take up to 200 years. Unfortunately, some synthetic textiles marketed as "satin" are made of polyester.
Instead of throwing away old silk clothes, you can repurpose them by turning them into compost. Silk is compostable, which means you can add used silk clothes to your compost pile. To create compost, shred the fabric into smaller pieces and remove any non-biodegradable items like tags or buttons. Then add the shredded material to the compost and let nature do the rest. You can add worms or use "hot compost" methods to speed up the decomposition process.
With a little patience, you will soon have nutrient-rich compost to use in your garden.