Short supply chain ensures successful textile recycling

Rob Cole said: “The communication campaign which accompanied our scheme’s launch has helped to boost our collection volumes. By making it easy for residents to recycle their unwanted textiles, we aim to capture more material from the residual waste bins and reduce the cost and volume of sending them to landfill.”

Alan Wheeler, National Liaison Manager for The Textile Recycling Association, discussed the growing current and future markets for textile reuse and recycling, pointing out that 60% of used clothing collected in 2011 was reused.

“Strategies are in place to encourage local authorities to start textile collections and tackle the readily-available supply of clothing that is still being thrown into the bin,” said Alan. “We have to strike a balance with charity shop collections; but it’s important to note that donations to charity shops have increased alongside the growth in kerbside collections, suggesting that these have had no impact on charity shop collections.”

Presentations also featured Sander Jongerius on automatic sorting for textiles and clothes developed by Textiles 4 Textiles BV and Izzie Johnston from WRAP who examined the opportunities and challenges for ‘closing the UK textiles loop’.

Axion Director Roger Morton stressed the need for collaboration throughout the supply chain, adding: “With around 60kg of textile waste being generated per UK household every year, local authorities need to develop the most efficient solutions that ultimately benefit all. There’s an ‘urban mine’ out there that will generate income that can be ploughed back into local communities.”

Delegates’ feedback was extremely positive with 80% rating the event as good to excellent with praise for the ‘interesting discussions’, ‘good mix of delegates’ and event organisation. One commented: “A great event. We now have lots of plans in the pipeline to get more value from our textiles and really think about how we handle them.”

Ian Matheson, Operations Manager at Blythswood Care, a charity retailer and recycler, found the day ‘very useful’ in providing information and encouragement for councils and community groups to promote more textile recycling.

On display at the event were items made from discarded leather and denim clothes by Fashion Design undergraduates at the University of Salford to demonstrate ‘second life’ opportunities for waste textiles and their great capacity for re-use. These included a waterproof coat and trousers, denim sunglasses, toys, iPad cases and a rocking chair, showing how beautiful and desirable fashion and lifestyle products can be made - or ‘upcycled’ -from used denim garments.

I&G Cohen ltd, whose partnership recycling schemes with councils and waste management companies include charities, kerbside and textile bank collections, supplied all the denim items for the project.

I&G Cohen Ltd