Problems such as the depletion of natural resources and the increase in environmental pollution brought about by industrialization, the concept of recycling gained great importance. For the textile industry, which ranks second in the world by creating the most pollution after the petroleum industry, studies in the field of recycling have gained momentum day by day.

Textile waste; It consists of wastes from artificial yarn factories, textile manufacturing wastes and consumer wastes. Organizations trying to produce international solutions for the textile and apparel industry are working on the reuse and recycling of textile wastes.

With the great importance of re-evaluation of clothes, intensive studies are carried out to recycle nearly one hundred percent of textile products. For example; Denim products can contain up to 20 percent recycled cotton fiber. More technological innovation is required to increase this rate without reducing quality. In the recycling of denim products, unused denim products are broken down until they become fibers. While most of the obtained fibers are used as insulation material, the remaining part is mixed with unused fibers to produce new fabric.

Recycling helps reduce carbon footprint

Recycling facilities are needed to recycle clothes. If 500 tons or more of textile products can be collected daily, a recycling facility can be established. Thanks to the recycling of waste; natural resources are protected, energy is saved, the amount of waste is reduced, the economy is contributed, and investments are made for the future.

It takes 8 tons or more of water to produce a simple T-shirt and jeans. At the same time, unpredictable chemical materials and energy are used to turn fabrics into clothes. A large amount and variety of chemicals are released into the environment from conventional cotton or fabric dyes used to create colorful clothes. Recovery of this excess water and energy needs to be started by adding unused clothing to the remanufacturing cycle.

The carbon footprint, which shows the amount of carbon released per person, decreases with the re-introduction of clothing into the production cycle. Thus, it contributes to nature. Behaviors such as walking or cycling instead of driving, using public transportation instead of private vehicles, recycling old clothes help reduce the carbon footprint. It helps to reuse 32 kg of carbon and 400 MJ of energy released into the air by recycling a single pair of jeans into production, thus keeping the amount of carbon released into the air constant rather than increasing.

How is Textile Recycling Made?

Textile recycling is almost the same as recycling other materials and goes through the same phases. First of all, the wastes obtained from the producers and consumers, especially from the factories, are put in a certain order according to the fabric color and type. A correct classification is the most important point of recycling.

The product obtained from recycling may also differ if any mistakes are made. The new substance obtained after certain processes is sold to new buyers according to usage differences and is brought back to the economy.

Fabric recycling

Apart from other recycling areas, fabric recycling is more risky and requires more labor. There is more intense competition in fabric recycling. The color of the fabric, the rate and quality of foreign matter in the fabric are the most important factors in this recycling branch. The more severely damaged a waste is, the more time it takes for its employees to recycle and requires careful work. The color of the fabric is also important. The more dye a fabric receives, the more worthless it becomes, making it a difficult waste to recycle.

How does the separation process of textile waste (waste) work?

Fireci: sorts the scraps brought to the workplace according to their color and size, and separates them into certain items. These items are as follows.

Clipping waste: Fabrics that are separated according to their color and type turn into fiber, then into yarn and finally back into fabric. According to the sector, products such as blankets, carpets and rugs are also produced.

Topbaşı: Pieces longer than 80 cm are sent to small-scale sewing shops to be re-evaluated and brought back into the economy.

Piece Cloth: The scraps are separated and sent to the tradesmen dealing with the Piece Cloth trade, provided that the length is at least 15*15. These cloths are used as cleaning materials in industrial establishments.

Pastal: Pieces larger than 50*50 in length and having multiple layers are used to make products such as children's clothing or underwear. These products, which are completely black or dark blue, are used in the manufacture of wadding.