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Development and testing of a sorting and quality assessment method for textile waste
Nynne Nørup1, Kaj Pihl2, Anders Damgaard3
1Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Ulandshjælp fra Folk til Folk - Humana People to People, Kildebrogårdsvej 11N, 4622 Havdrup, Denmark.
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|October 23, 2018
Summary
Developing a standardized method for textile waste sorting and quality assessment is crucial for effective waste prevention. This study demonstrates that a significant portion of household textiles in waste streams are reusable or recyclable.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Waste Management
- Textile Recycling
Background:
- Textile production has high resource consumption and environmental impacts.
- Current textile waste sorting lacks uniform definitions and quality assessments.
- Inadequate assessment methods risk underestimating textile waste prevention potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a standardized method for sorting and assessing the quality of textiles in household waste.
- To determine the reusability and recyclability potential of discarded textiles.
- To propose a minimum waste sample size for accurate analysis.
Main Methods:
- Developed a quality assessment based on product type, manufacturing, fiber composition, and 17 condition criteria.
- Validated the method through dialogue with professional textile sorting centers.
- Applied the developed method in a case study and compared it with existing sorting approaches.
Main Results:
- 61% of clothing in residual waste and 83% in small combustibles were reusable or recyclable.
- 78% of household textiles in residual waste and 85% in small combustibles were reusable or recyclable.
- Significant variations in sorted quantities were observed when using different sorting methods on the same samples.
Conclusions:
- The study proposes a new standard for defining and assessing used textile categories and qualities.
- The developed method is adapted to contemporary sorting technologies and tested on real waste samples.
- Standardized assessment is vital for accurate evaluation of textile waste prevention and management strategies.
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