Basic facts and figures.

1 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away each year most from households. At least 50% of these could be recycled and most have at least 70% of their useful life left.

Textiles made from natural and man-made fibres can be recycled but many end up on landfill sites. Man-made synthetic fabrics will not decompose and wool will decompose but produces harmful methane.

Currently around 25% of textile waste is reused and recycled in the UK reducing the need for landfill space. This reduces pressure on natural resources and aids the balance of payments as we import fewer materials. It is energy saving and causes less pollution as fibres don’t have be transported from abroad.

Many polluting and energy intensive processes are required to make textiles from virgin resources. Recycling means less energy consumption, less effluent and fewer chemicals for dyes and fixing agents with the potential to contaminate watersheds. It takes ten times more energy to manufacture a tonne of textiles that a tonne of glass and we are more likely to recycle glass.

70% of the world’s population use second hand clothes. Do you? It is claimed that if everyone in the UK bought one reclaimed wool garment each year it could save an average of 371 million gallons of water (a UK reservoir holds around 300 million gallons) and 480 tonnes of chemical dyestuffs.

I won’t preach ethics here but will leave you with links to various related sites which you can choose to read or not depending upon what interests you or just how curious you are. Some are also great for kids. You might be surprised as some of them really make you think…

Click here for recycling sites

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Treasure Shop