Clothing and Textile Collection and Recycling Service 01286 674 155

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In the UK we dispose of one million tonnes of textiles annually, between 400,000 and 700,000 tonnes of these textiles are clothes that have been sent to landfill, at least 85% of this could be recycled. Almost all textiles can be respun into new fabric or recycled and used for filling materials or cleaning cloths.

Thousands of tonnes of unwanted clothes are currently sent to landfill in Wales each year. This presents real problems as synthetic fibres do not decompose and while items made from natural fibres like cotton do, they produce methane which contributes to global warming.

If each person in the bought one recycled garment each year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water and 480 tonnes of chemical dyestuffs.

You can play your part by rummaging through your wardrobe and passing on those things that you’re never going to wear again.  It could be the little black dress that’s just too little or the impulse buy jumper you’ve never worn. Even clothes past their best can be used to make cloths or new fabric, so If you don’t wear it, Recycle it . Simply call Antur Waunfawr on 01286 674 155 and we will collect bags of clothes from your home and give them a chance of a useful new life!

The recovery of textiles and clothing for recycling provide both environmental and economic benefits. 

• Clothing & textile recycling reduces the need for landfill space.
  Synthetic fiber products will not decompose, and as a result present a unique set of problems in the landfill. While woolen garments do decompose, they also produce methane which contributes to global warming.

• Clothing & textile recycling reduces pressure on virgin resources.

• Clothing & textile recycling encourages the development of additional markets.
  Raw materials created from recycled content generally cost less, making their use attractive and desirable to manufacturers. This in turn leads to the development of more markets for reclaimed fibres.

• Clothing & textile recycling results in less pollution and energy savings.

The benefits of clothing & textile recycling don’t just stop here. Reclaiming textile fibre avoids many of the polluting and energy intensive processes required to make textiles from virgin materials. This includes:

• Savings on energy consumption when processing.
  Items do not need to be re-dyed or scoured.

• Less effluent.
  Unlike raw wool, reclaimed fibre does not have to be thoroughly washed using large volumes of water.

• Reduction of demand for dyes and fixing agents.
  This in turn reduces the problems caused by their use and manufacture.

Textiles are manufactured to perform a wide range of functions and are made up of different types of fibres mixed in varying proportions. While the textile industry has a long history of being thrifty with its resources, a large proportion of unnecessary waste is still produced each year, much of which is either incinerated or disposed of in landfill. Textile wastes take many forms and are often complex in nature due to the range of manufacturing specifications required. Complex mixtures of fibres make separation more difficult and more costly, and this has implications for the profitability of textile recycling.

The two main fibre types most commonly found blended and dyed to make textiles are natural fibres and synthetic fibres Natural fibres include vegetable fibres such as cotton, flax and hemp, animal fibres such as sheep's wool, and mineral fibres. Synthetic fibres are polymers based on petroleum and cellulose such as nylon.

Textile waste originate from both the household (consumer) sector and the industrial (manufacturing) sector. Consumer waste generally comprises binned waste or that separated for reuse or recycling, such as unwanted clothing, bedding and curtains. Manufacturing waste originates from the processing of raw materials and in the fabrication and production of finished textiles and garments, including cuttings and rejected materials.

Consumers react to changes in fashion both in clothing and household interior designs. Seasonal changes in fashion mean that clothes can become outdated very quickly, and this encourages the replacement and disposal of outdated, yet good quality garments. Consequently, manufacturers will increasingly develop high quantities of low durability clothing in response to a 'throw away society'. Economic prosperity also influences this trend, as the production of textiles increases with consumer spending, so does waste production from both the manufacturing and household sectors.

Textile waste in landfill contributes to the formation of leachate as it decomposes, which has the potential to contaminate both surface and groundwater sources. Another product of decomposition in landfill is methane gas, which is a major greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to global warming.

The decomposition of organic fibres and yarn such as wool produces large amounts of ammonia as well as methane. Ammonia is highly toxic in both terrestrial and aquatic environments, and can be toxic in gaseous form. It has the potential to increase nitrogen in drinking water, which can have adverse effect on humans

Cellulose-based synthetics decay at a faster rate than chemical-based synthetics. Synthetic chemical fibres can prolong the adverse effects of both leachate and gas production due to the length of time it takes for them to decay.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Textiles represent between 3% - 5% of household waste and estimates for the amount of textile waste vary between 550,000 tonnes and 900,000 tonnes each year, mostly from domestic sources, currently less than 25% are recycled.

The textile recycling association estimates that up to 95% of the textiles that are sent to landfill could be recycled. They estimate that 400,000 - 700,000 tonnes of textiles were sent to landfill last year. Textiles which are not reused or recycled do not create local economic and employment opportunities and are detrimental to the environment.  Fifty percent less energy is used in the production of fabric using recycled fibre.

Almost all natural and synthetic fabrics can be recycled. Textile recycling is one of the oldest forms of recycling, having being pioneered by Benjamin Law in 1813 when he created the process of pulling. This process involved breaking down textiles into their constituent fibres (shoddy), so that they could be re-spun into fresh thread. One of the major uses for recycled textiles is in the manufacture of cleaning and wiping cloths. Garments are generally stripped of added materials such as buttons and zips before being cut into strips to make the wiping cloths.

The use of textile waste as a filling or flocking material has benefited from legislation prohibiting the use of foam in certain furnishings. The process of production is similar to that of wiping rags, with external contaminants removed before the material is shredded into shoddy. As they will be hidden from sight when finally used, the individual fibres resulting from this process do not need to be separated by colour or quality. Textile wastes have been used for a wide range of other purposes. Waste fabrics can also be used for soundproof blocks, insulation, roofing felt, bank stabilisation, and as pollution control filters.

By recycling textiles, we reduce the demand for virgin resources. The processes involved in the reuse and recycling of textile waste result in less pollution and energy use than the energy intensive processes involved in making textiles from virgin material. For example, the fibres do not have to be imported from abroad, they do not need to be re-dyed or scoured, and there is no need to wash virgin materials such as raw wool, which results in effluent discharges. Material washing and energy consumption still occur in recycling processes, but they are considerably less polluting than the processes involved in manufacturing textiles from virgin fibre. Recycling textiles can save up to 15 times the energy recoverable by incineration.

Huw Davies, deputy chief executive for Antur Waunfawr and head of their recycling services says

“Clothes recycling is not only good for the local environment, but it also has an important social and economic role to play. The benefits extend to the local community where we employ 110 local people and provide work and training opportunities for people with learning disabilities.  The local community is aware of the crucial contributions that Antur Waunfawr makes to local sustainable development and we are confident that people will support this new recycling initiative, as it will directly benefit them, their local economy and environment.”

”We will be collecting bags of unwanted clothing daily or people can simply bring their bags direct to the Warws Werdd, all anyone has to do is collect their unwanted clothes put it in a black bin bag and then call the Warws Werdd on 01286 674 155 and we will arrange for our van to come and collect your clothing and any old furniture that you no longer want”