OPINION: Over the past two years, we have seen posts and articles on LinkedIn, in Letsrecycle, and in other industry publications claiming that the UK’s textile collection system was heading toward a breaking point. That moment is no longer theoretical. It’s here.
The recent decisions by TRI Group and the Salvation Army Trading Company Limited (SATCoL) to charge for or pause HWRC collections marked a turning point for our sector. These aren’t small operators; they are two of the UK’s largest collectors. When organisations of this scale step back, it sends a clear and unavoidable message: the current model is no longer workable.
The quality of material coming through HWRC sites has deteriorated so significantly that the economics simply do not stack up. The rise of ultra-fast fashion has flooded the waste stream with garments that are poorly made with a total disregard for durability. This has left collectors absorbing the cost of sorting mountains of material with very little yield.
At the same time, end markets – particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, Dubai, and Pakistan – have become more selective. These markets have been struggling for a number years, something many of us in the sector have highlighted repeatedly. The collapse of several EU businesses has only increased pressure globally. The idea that exporters are unwilling to take material is false; the issue is that the material is increasingly unfit for purpose.
This brings us to the unavoidable reality: gate fees are no longer a prediction – they are now the reality.
In recent months we’ve seen gate fees introduced across the UK, ranging anywhere from –£50 per tonne to +£10 per tonne. Yes, the spread is wide, but it reflects the instability of a system grappling with low-grade inputs and overstretched output markets. This is the new norm, whether we like it or not.
And we cannot ignore what comes next.
With the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for the waste sector in 2028, costs will rise further. The pressure on collectors – charities, merchants, local authorities, and commercial operators alike – will only intensify. For many organisations, especially smaller charities running on tight margins, ETS will be a shockwave.
Which is precisely why this is not the time for insularity. For too long, parts of the sector have operated in silos: charities separate from merchants, merchants separate from local authorities, recyclers separate from re-processors. That approach will not carry us through the next five years.
If SATCoL and TRI withdrawing from collections tells us anything, it’s that no organisation is immune. The charity sector must also recognise that gate fees as a result of rising operational costs (transportation, fuel, staff etc.) are coming for them too. The days of being paid for material simply because it is textile are over. Quality, not quantity, will determine value – and much of the current stream doesn’t meet the threshold.
Survival will depend on cross-sector collaboration, transparency, and a shared willingness to adapt. Local authorities, charities, collectors, sorters, recyclers, re-processors, and policymakers must work together – not simply to protect their own corner, but to stabilise an industry that underpins environmental targets, circularity ambitions, and thousands of jobs.
I’ve spent years advocating for this sector because I genuinely believe in its potential. But we must be honest with ourselves: for many organisations, this moment feels like too little, too late. Without urgent cooperation and a collective acceptance of the challenges ahead, we risk losing far more than a few contracts – we risk losing the infrastructure that keeps textiles out of the bin in the first place.
The landscape has changed. The question now is whether the sector chooses to change with it – together – or whether more organisations will follow TRI and SATCoL and stop collecting low quality material.
We need the UK government to implement an eco-modulated EPR scheme and start direct consultations with the reuse and recycle merchants to work on a long term strategy to save this vital sector.
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