112: Textile Waste Samples

A sample box containing 112 samples collected from 1 tonne of mixed post-consumer textile waste will be presented alongside key results from work package 4 of Trash-2-Cash. The exhibit shows the unique challenge of textile waste for textile recycler SOEX and also the great opportunity for regenerating cellulosic fibres from mixed cotton waste.

The EU H2020-funded Trash-2-Cash project aims to develop new high quality fibres from textile and paper waste. The research involves the whole material cycle, importantly including the textile waste supply chain.

One task in Trash-2-Cash focusses on the supply of mixed post-consumer textile waste. Technical research institute SP, is assisting textile recycler SOEX in testing emerging textile sorting technologies. These spectroscopic technologies can recognise the fibre content of each piece of clothing. One of these new sorting technologies could enable SOEX to reliably and efficiently sort unusable clothing waste into different fibre ‘fractions’. The sorted textile can then be prepared for regeneration into new fibres.

As well as providing invaluable knowledge about the different sorting technologies and how they can be used, this work involved a survey of post-consumer textile waste. The 112 sample collection demonstrates the complex composition of 1 tonne of mixed post-consumer textile waste in a material form which can be handled by visitors to this landmark exhibit.

This piece was exhibited as part of the Making Circles exhibition which accompanied the Circular Transitions conference, Nov 2016.