The association said while “large amounts of financial help” have been offered to recyclers of other materials, “neither the government nor WRAP have shown any willingness” to help textiles recyclers. This, “despite the looming threat to the future of this vital recycling industry”.
”Charities may no longer find it viable to continue taking donations of clothing from the public. “
– Alan Wheeler, TRA
As more and more “poor quality” clothes are being imported from the Far East and sold cheaply on Britain's high streets, the nation's charity shops are finding it difficult to compete with budget clothes outlets. And, the increase in low-quality clothing means more and more donated clothes are too poor quality to recycle.
And, the World Trade Organisation's Agreement on Textiles and Clothing was abolished on January 1 this year – opening up global markets to more competition – and the imports of clothing from the Far East are now expected to soar.
Terry Ralph, president of the Textiles Recycling Association, said that the proportion of clothes suitable for recycling had dropped in recent years from 60% to 40%. He said: “Unless action is taken now, the profits made from the re-sale of second hand clothing will no longer be able to cover the cost of recycling lower grades, and the industry may disappear.”
WRAP
Government-funded WRAP – the Waste and Resources Action Programme – has an annual 75 million available to create “efficient markets for recycled materials and products, while removing barriers to waste minimisation, re-use and recycling”.
But, the TRA said: “They are able to do this by offering large amounts of financial help for material sectors such as paper, glass, plastic, wood, aggregates and organic material, but not textiles.”
Despite challenging economic conditions, the Textiles Recycling Association was told by WRAP that it could not support textile recycling because “textiles do not suffer from a market failure in terms of a lack of outlets”.
Charities
Alan Wheeler, the association's national liaison manager, said: “If the UK's reclamation industry were to disappear, then charities may no longer find it viable to continue taking donations of clothing from the public as they could have no market for them.
“Both the government and local authorities may be left in the embarrassing position of having to dispose of a clothes mountain,” he explained.
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Mr Ralph was among European textiles industry representatives who met with the European Commission last week to raise concerns over the recycling sector's survival. The meeting, with Marianne Klingbeil of the Commission's environment directorate, highlighted the possibility of producer responsibility for textiles recycling.
The textiles sector wants to see measures similar to the WEEE Directive on waste electronics introduced for textiles.
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