London textile recycling firm in 500,000 expansion

The family-run firm has acquired a 14,000 square foot warehouse next door to its 2 million Beckenham site – and kitted it out with processing equipment including a new baling machine and scales.

” The site is now fully operational with a baling machine, scales and tables and we have set two rooms aside for a classroom to teach children about how to recycle textiles. “
– Chris Carey, Chris Carey's Collections
The move comes just months after the 25,000-tonne-a-year Beckenham facility opened (see letsrecycle.com story), more then doubling Chris Carey's textile recycling capacity.

It follows an influx of business from the Blue Peter Shoebiz appeal – through which around fifteen textile recyclers such as Chris Carey's have been receiving around 30 tonnes of shoes a month since November.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com, managing director Christine Carey said: “We bought the warehouse in December as we were already short of space and were in negotiations for the Blue Peter Appeal. A lot of shoes were coming in and we were wondering how to deal with them.”

She added: “The site is now fully operational with a baling machine, scales and tables and we have set two rooms aside for a classroom to teach children about how to recycle textiles. We now have more space to sort costumes and retail outfits and we have taken on 10 temporary staff.”

Education
Ms Carey explained that although the Blue Peter Appeal would end in October, the new space would help the firm to keep up with increasing business – and provide the space to educate schoolchildren.

Chris Carey's Collections already has contracts to recycle all staff uniforms for bluechip companies such as Homebase and Argos.

Under the Blue Peter Appeal, around 15 members of textile recycling trading group Recyclatex are sorting and selling used shoes and giving the money to the Blue Peter Appeal. The scheme has already attracted 1 million pairs of shoes.

At Chris Carey's Collections the shoes are sent for re-use in countries such as Russia and Ghana. The money paid for the textiles goes to help children in Malawi.