Challenges and opportunities in textile waste management

On January 1, 2025, Spain and all EU countries will be obliged to collect the textile fraction of urban solid waste.For this reason, the approval of the draft Law on Contaminated Waste and Soils that will have a great impact and transcendence in the textile and fashion sector is currently in parliamentary courts in the General Courts.

Se calcula que actualmente en España unas 900.000 toneladas de residuos textiles van a parar anualmente a los vertederos. Se generan asimismo 50.000 toneladas de residuo de preconsumo, cuyo potencial de reciclado y salida comercial es muy elevado porque conocemos su composición.

Situación actual

Used clothes collected in the 21.822 Containers from various social entities such as Cáritas, Modere, Human, Aess, AsirTex, etc..is of the order of 108.000 tons per year, which represents approximately 12% of the waste generated.In the Europe of 27, it is estimated that 8% of the waste is reused (25% in Europe and 75% exported to developing countries), 10% is recycled, 24.9% is incinerated and the57.1% are going to the landfill.

On the other hand, the world and local context of textile waste is in full evolution.Africa and some Asian countries have already begun to reject a good part of the imports of European used clothing, among other things because it inhibits the development of the local textile industry.France has already prohibited the burning of production surpluses and will also do Spain also.

Therefore, what we exported will stay with us before, what we burned will be prohibited and what we threw the landfill is ending up - let's be - as a municipal residue.In short, we have the great challenge and opportunity to manage more than one million length of tons of textile waste under the logic and principles of the circular economy.

Anteproyecto de ley de residuos y suelos contaminados

The draft Spanish law, as in other European countries, will implement an expanded responsibility regime of the producer (rap), for which producers will have to pay a rate that allows “assuming financial responsibility or financial and organizational responsibility ofthe management of the residue phase of the life cycle of a product ".

The law proposal is based on the principle of those who pollutes pay, and therefore considers that “the costs related to waste management, including the costs corresponding to the necessary infrastructure and its operation, as well as the costs related to theEnvironmental impacts and in particular those of greenhouse gas emissions, will have to run in charge of the initial waste producer, the current possessor or the previous waste holder ”.

In any case, the draft law makes it clear that the initial producer or other waste holder is obliged to ensure the proper final treatment of their waste, in accordance with the provisions of the law, whether the treatment of the waste itself is carried out, commissioning the treatment of their waste to a registered negotiator or an entity or entity of authorized waste treatment, or delivering the waste to a public or private entity of waste collection, including social economy entities, for their treatment, alwaysthat are registered in accordance with the provisions of this Law.In this sense, the law reserves a space to the social economy entities of those who implicitly recognize their important work.

Dudas y reflexiones sobre la nueva Ley

The implementation of the law, its subsequent regulations and the development of regulations and regional management plans and municipal ordinances raises some doubts and reflections that I comment below.

Everything indicates that there will be containers of textile waste on public road.

This will be up to the local entities that will have to make a very notable effort both economic and logistic to implement it and coordinate with the existing rap and managers.

Different agents and expanded responsibility agents of the producer will probably live.We will see if this multiplicity of options contributes to good waste management.But will there be a single textile waste container where the used clothes will be collected and also any textile residue or not?If there is only one, what will happen to the current social entities that collect and manage used clothes, and that have fulfilled and fulfill a fantastic environmental function and social insertion?

They should probably be reconverted to authorized waste managers to also manage other types of textile waste to which they are not accustomed and/or prepared, with all that this implies in their cost structure and viability.In fact, the draft law explicitly speaks of social economy entities and authorized companies as two valid options for companies to commission their waste management.

Some fashion companies, as a test, have already started collecting used clothes, whether or not, in their own stores and even announce that they could also pick it up if they come to our homes to give us clothes online purchased online.You have to see how multiplicity of collection options will be sufficiently efficient and operational.

Destino de los residuos textiles

What will waste managers and rap systems do with textile waste?To treat the enormous amount of waste that will emerge, a large number of expensive capable plants mustzippers, etc..) to allow its subsequent recycling, classify waste by their composition and/or color, but by what technology?If the “nearby infrared” is used, the current lines of this technology are capable of separating, by its composition, 1 piece of clothing per second.This means that in 24 hours a line can classify 86.400 garments.Having that it is estimated that in 1 kg of used clothing clothes there is an average of 4 garments, this means that in one day each line is capable of classifying 21.600 kg.Obviously these calculations are orientative since if we talk about complex garments formed by several layers (outer tissue, interwoven and lining), previous manual operations will also be necessary to separate the parties.

If it was intended to classify by type of fiber the 900.000 tons of textile waste that currently go to landfills in Spain, for later recycling (in the event that all of them are really recyclable), a total of 115 classification lines for near infrared working 24 hours a day would be needed.during the 365 days a year.

¿Qué haremos con estos residuos?

Suppose we already have free recyclable waste of improper and classified by type of fiber and/or color.What will we do with this waste?An option is mechanical recycling (crush waste to re -obtain a new textile material, mixed with virgin fiber).

The technology of "regenerates" is well known in Spain of which there is a long tradition and extensive experience.Currently Spain is the largest producer in Europe of this type of thread with around 61.000 tons per year.Both the development of Open-End spinning, and the technology of non-tejidos, have contributed to greatly improve the fields of application, quality and performance of recycled textile products.

These technologies can still be perfected and the fields of application expand, but have two clear limits.The first is that crushing fibers implies radically reducing its length and mechanical properties, so the quality of the resulting courses and non-tissues is very limited to range of medium-low quality products.

To obtain yarn of sufficient quality to weave them in the current looms it is essential to mix the crushed fibers with a notable percentage of virgin fiber.The second aspect to consider is that a shirt obtained with recycled fiber one will end its useful life and will have to become recycled and therefore crush again.How many times can we crush a fiber again without its textile properties not being severely affected and prevent their reuse in the textile sector?Probably the use of crushed textile fibers will have more exit in applications that can consume large volumes such as applications for the construction, agriculture, gardening sector, etc..that not in the textile sector itself.

Reciclado químico

The second option is chemical recycling, a concept that includes a broad spectrum of sophisticated chemical treatments ranging from the dissolution of cellulose to later obtain viscous fibers, cellulose nanObtaining a polymerizable monomer, for subsequent fusion spinning or obtaining 100 % recycled polyester pieces.The use of biorefinery techniques to obtain various chemicals such as alcohols, etc..From textile waste it is also an interesting option and with great possibilities.Finally, and although it is not strictly a chemical recycling, the fusion of textile and non -textiles of 100% polyester to obtain recycled polyester fibers, it is also an interesting option.Chemical recycling, remember that it is only possible if there is previously a rigorous classification of textile waste by type of fiber.

These chemical technologies are still in the development phase (some of them very advanced such as the recycling of the polyester), due to the complexity of the chemical processes necessary to separate the dyes, auxiliary products, maters, etc..that accompany the fibers, the high costs of the solvents and other chemicals used, as well as the possible environmental impact that it can entail.While these technologies as of today are not mature enough, their potential is very remarkable and are undoubtedly the great hope for the treatment of large volumes of fiber that mechanical recycling will not be able to absorb.

Preguntas finales

In this complex context, the commitment to one or another of the technologies that we have mentioned so far in the different classification and recycling routes, some of them in full evolution, has notable business risks.

Finally, and very relevant, in a context of a large volume of supply of textile waste, the different classification and recycled technologies will lead to a textile material at a sufficiently competitive price compared to virgin fibers?

What role will administrations, large fashion companies, textile SMEs, as well as the retail sector in the impulse and commitment necessary to address the magnitude of this problem?

We expect exciting times, great challenges in textile research, as well as business opportunities in textile waste management.

Este articulo se publicó originalmente en la revista Noticiero Textil correspondiente al mes de diciembre. Puedes acceder a la edición completa clicando sobre la imagen.