Textile recyclers Salvation Army Trading Co Ltd, the Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute Ltd and Oakdene Hollins Ltd have been awarded the funding for a project entitled “Recycling of Low Grade Clothing Waste”.
As well as looking at the waste implications of cheaper import clothing, the three organisations are aiming to develop technical and market solutions to address the consequent recycling problems.
The funding has been made available through Defra's Research and Development Programme, with the project focussing on two separate areas: economic and policy analysis and technology for recycling lower grade textiles.
Project
The first part of the project will include the implications of changes in clothing quality and price brought about by changes in policies on textiles. It will also look at possible changes in the collection of waste textiles, such as increasing doorstep collections or introducing producer responsibility measures.
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The second focus will assess the use of innovative market technology to create high value nonwoven products from grades of clothing that can no longer be re-used. It will aim to generate new markets, as the traditional recycling markets of flocking and wipers are seen to be mature and increasingly unattractive for textile recyclers.
Gareth Ward, of Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd, said: “We would like to thank Defra for funding this innovative project. We believe it will help to move textile recycling into the 21st century.”
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