The TSA (Textile Services Association) is calling for industry to work with it to improve the recycling of textiles.
Every year over 30 million textile items, including sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, and towels are thrown away by the hospitality industry alone. This equates to over 7000 tonnes, the majority of which ends up in landfill or incinerators. Meanwhile the cloth that does get reused often only gets one additional use cycle, as rags in sites such as garages, before being dumped.
Initially the TSA is focusing on hospitality since textile waste from this sector is ideal for recycling, as it is predominantly made of natural fibres, and white. Last year the TSA set up a project to research potential recycling solutions for the hospitality industry in association with Swedish company Södra, which has pioneered a method that takes end of life cotton textiles and re-engineer them into a pulp that can be used to spin cotton fibre yarns. A test shipment was sent to the company to determine how suitable it will be for use in the UK, with very positive results.
Members of the TSA are well positioned to facilitate the recycling of textiles. Over 90% of hotels in the UK are serviced by TSA members, which will enable them to easily handle the logistics of the proposed recycling scheme. So far TSA members have been very enthusiastic about the potential for them to help sectors to reduce waste and improve sustainability.
Following the success of the Swedish tests, the TSA has teamed up with UK textile recycling specialist Reskinned to launch a circular collection system. Participating laundries simply bag up the end-of-life textiles and add a collection barcode verifying the weight. The sacks are delivered to Reskinned, either by the laundry itself or using a courier service. At the Reskinned hub the textiles are verified, sorted and bailed for onward processing. The laundries are paid the market rate for the textiles, minus Reskinned’s operating costs.
The TSA is hoping to extend the scheme to other textiles and industry sectors. It is currently in talks with UK Hospitality about the possibility of including staff uniforms in the scheme, which account for an additional four million items annually. Recycling uniforms is more complex as they often use a mix of different materials and accessories that require separation first. Going forward, designing uniforms for recycling is one of the solutions being discussed.
Kate Nicholls OBE, chief executive of UK Hospitality, is an enthusiastic supporter of the textile recycling scheme: “We are delighted to be working with the TSA on its recycling project and it compliments perfectly our current campaign of Net Zero Carbon by 2030.”
At the TSA we believe the scheme represents a win-win for the environment as not only are landfill use and incineration reduced, but also there is less need for new cotton. It’s estimated that 20,000 litres of water are required for every kilo of cotton grown, not forgetting the risks of fertiliser run-off. Anything that reduces the impact this crop has must be good.
With more companies and business sectors looking for innovative ways to reduce their environmental impact the time is right to consider bold and innovative solutions to the larger issues they face. The TSA appreciates any feedback and comments on the scheme and would also welcome more stakeholders, from other industries, coming forward to discuss the individual needs of their businesses and the potential to extend the scheme.
The TSA is a member of the British Cleaning Council. The views of Council members are their own.
About the contributor
David Stevens
CEO
Textile Services Association