LWARB offers funding for textile recycling schemes

Projects which will benefit from the cash injection announced today (February 20) by the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) include the introduction of carpet recycling at local household waste and recycling sites and a kerbside collection service which allows clothing to be recycled alongside other recyclable goods in wheeled bins or boxes.

It is anticipated that these six projects will divert in the region of 3,500 tonnes of end of life clothing and other textiles from landfill or incineration over the next 12 months.

The funding is part of LWARBs Textile Reuse and Recycling Fund which aims to create solutions to increase the re-use and recycling of textiles such as clothing, carpets and mattresses in London.

LWARB Efficiencies Committee Chair and Board Member, Clyde Loakes, said: Around 200,000 tonnes of textiles currently go to landfill in London every year and the projects funded so far will help provide new and innovative solutions to reduce that amount. As well as reducing the burden on the capitals landfill sites, increasing textile reuse and recycling will also help to grow Londons economy by creating jobs and volunteering/training opportunities and have a positive monetary impact on the public purse.

Deadline

LWARB launched the Textile Reuse and Recycling Fund for members of the London Textile Forum in 2013. So far six projects have been funded in total with each project awarded grants from 8,300 to 55,000. A further 215,000 is still available with a deadline for expressions of interest of March 7.

Among the projects to which LWARB has awarded grant funding is the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which will produce behaviour change communications for clothing and non-clothing. Meanwhile, textile collector and reprocessor Lawrence M Barry is to use funds to set up a kerbside clothing recycling service for some London residents.

Community interest firm Wastebuster has been given funding to set up a corporate textile recycling and rewards scheme, which will work with businesses to develop a volunteer programme for delivery of textiles education in schools to increase recycling.

Elsewhere the Textile Recycling Association (TRA) is to assess the extent of clothing theft from bring sites, kerbside and bogus charity collections in London and to identify measures that textile collectors in London could take to minimise their losses and maximise collection rates.