Recycling and Disposal of Industrial Fabrics

Introduction:

Recycling

Definition: It is a repeated re-introduction into the sameproduction process of a used economic good or of waste incurred duringproduction.

In todays parlance however, recycling is also understood tomean the reworking of used commodity into a new product destined for newmarkets, thus withdrawing it from the original production cycle.

Why recycling of textile materials?

For instance, we get textile material from crude oil. Only a6% of petrochemicals are obtained from a crude oil which then gives less than1% of usable raw material required for textile polymers which is then convertedinto fibres and subsequently into finished textile products. Thus, we get lessthan 1% textile material from 100% crude oil whereas the availability of crudeoil is limited, so for the fulfillment of textile products, textile materialsmust be recycled.

Looking at recycling in its ideal form we would have processwhereby a used product is re-integrated into a production process at somesuitable point and it would be desirable that this process should berepeatable. Another alternative would be to rework such a used product tocreate a different commodity, while yet another alternative would be to divertit to another application.

In cases where neither recycling now reworking is feasiblewe are left with the disposal which in our context implies either incinerationor tip dumping.

In terms of textiles, recycling can cover manydifferent areas. Firstly, there is the recycling of clothing as whole garments.This could be through charity shops or via the Vintage clothes market orthrough the reuse of clothing items which have been reworked, printed over orre-cut, tube resold.

Secondly, there is the recycling of materials ina more industrial context. This could include the production of recycled yarnwhere textiles are unraveled and re-spun into new fibres or it could includethe reuse of waste textiles as fillings for upholstery or as cleaning wipes forindustrial purposes.

Alongside this, there is the sort of reuse thatmainly occurs in a domestic setting The make-do and mend approach is eitherextending the useful life of an item or product, for example by darning someold wool socks, or reusing a material or product or giving it another function,such as turning old curtains into a garment.

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About the Authors:

The authors are students of VJTI, Mumbai