TEXTILE RECYCLING

• Old clothes are accepted by recycling banks.
• Most home recycling bins, provided by your local council, accept old clothes and textiles.
• Old clothes could be donated to charity shops. Taking the old textiles to the jumble shops is another option.
• Rather than throwing away old textile items, they could be used to make cushion covers, cleaning clothes etc.
• Old woolies are shredded and re-spun taking half the energy of new wool. However, the re-spun wool needs to be washed thoroughly.
• It is estimated that, of collected textiles:

6% goes to waste

12% goes for fiber reclamation

19% goes for filling materials

21% goes for wiping cloths

38% goes for second hand clothing

4% goes for second hand shoes

• The textile recycling association may be contacted for more information regarding textile recycling. You can reach them through their website- www.textile-recycling.org.uk.

Advantages of textile recycling and reuse:

ü Reduces the need for landfill space. Textiles present particular problems in landfill as synthetic (man-made fibers) products will not decompose, while woolen garments do decompose and produce methane, which contributes to global warming.

ü Reduces pressure on virgin resources.

ü Aids the balance of payments as we import fewer materials for our needs.

ü Results in less pollution and energy savings, as fibers do not have to be transported from abroad.