Why recycle?
Recycling involves the transformation of a product’s materials into raw materials for the creation of a new product. The process of clothing recycling includes dismantling garments by removing trims like buttons and zips before cutting them into materials or mechanically shredding them into a fibrous state, or chemically dissolving them into polymers or monomers. In Australia, textile recycling is an emerging industry in the research and pilot phase, with plans to establish several facilities. The Australian Parliament’s report, “From Rubbish to Resources: Building a Circular Economy,” advocates for solutions such as a circular economy for textiles, technology-enabled textile recycling, and increased textile collection bins. The current clothing recycling industry in Australia involves mechanical recycling of polyester and evolving capabilities in chemical recycling. Notable enterprises include Circular Centre, Worn Up, BlockTexx, Upparel, Textile Recycling Australia, and RCYCL, addressing various aspects of textile recycling, from collection to chemical separation and recycling. Some businesses, like King Cotton and SCR Group, export used clothing for reuse or recycling, managing residue disposal according to established procedures.
Upparel, clothing recycling collection for consumers to put unwanted clothes, shoes, textiles into a box and Upparel will collect. The boxes cost anywhere from $25-$250 depending how many kilograms of clothing the customer has to recycle.
Blocktexx, separation technology for polyester and cotton Australia – owns “S.O.F.T. separation of fibre technology” which separates polyester and cotton and conditions them back into high-value raw materials of PET and Cellulose for reuse as new products for all industries. Textiles are washed, shredded and then placed in a reactor which removes the cotton from the polyester. Polyester fibres can then be melted into PET pellets and cellulose slurry can be dried into a powder form if required.