GoKlean Simplifies the History of Textile Recycling
Textile recycling is one of the oldest and most established recycling industries in the world. In honor of Textile Day, GoKlean is going to simplify the history of textile recycling so you can learn the roots of the repurposed industrial rags you have come to love, or perhaps haven't tried yet? (We'd be happy to remedy that - give us a call!)
Throughout human history textiles were used, reused, and repurposed again and again because mankind used available goods for as long as possible, even royalty thought to live in excess reused materials in their clothes or moved fur lining from piece to piece to get the most out of it.
Textile recycling en masse started during the Napoleonic War in the eighteenth century when there was a shortage of virgin wool so wool fibers needed to be garneted into new yarn. Since that time the market for recycled textile fiber has evolved into a substantial industry.
Textile recycling turns pre-and post-consumer waste back into usable fiber. Cutting waste at the time of initial manufacturing is considered pre-consumer waste. This is easily recycled because all the material is the same and information about dyes and processes in known.
Post-consumer waste is of unknown origin and varies significantly in quality and condition, making recycling it more challenging. Research into the problem of processing mixed fibers, whether mixed type or quality, is ongoing throughout the developed world.
Additionally, new fiber can be extracted from domestic waste - the most common example being reclaimed plastic drink bottles converted into polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is used primarily in polyester.
Cultural consumption patterns encouraging excessiveness has had a negative impact on global sustainability. The Council for Textile Recycling reports that the average US consumer throws away 70 pounds of clothes and other textiles per year due at least in part to poor education about recycling and the availability of recycling programs. The EPA estimates that while the textile recycling industry recycles approximately 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste per year that is only accounts for 15% of textile waste.
The market for used textile fibers ranges from vintage collectibles; to sales to developing countries; to industrial uses like rags and wipers, such as what we process and sell at GoKlean; to use as stuffing and insulation padding.
As programs are continuing to develop and evolve around the country to reduce consumer waste going to landfills (like the curbside recycling of glass, plastic, and paper and in some places yard waste and even food waste), textile recycling has been called the "next frontier" by The Balance Small Business.
According to the SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association) nearly 100% of used clothing and household textiles can be re-used or recycled unless contaminated by mildew or other things. There is a caveat from Greenpeace, however, cautioning that technology has not evolved sufficiently enough yet to make full recycling of clothing into new fibers commercially viable.
What is viable is the use of repurposed industrial rags because dirty jobs don't need perfect rags! GoKlean sold over 300,000 pounds of repurposed rags last year…all diverted from landfills, helping companies keep their equipment clean and minimizing the environmental impact of rag services.
Give GoKlean a call today and let us help your company save money…and the planet…by incorporating repurposed rags into your cleaning process.
Facts from:
The Council for Textile Recycling
EPA
SMART
& Greenpeace