90% textile waste Municipal waste produced in Catalonia goes to landfills or incineratorsAccording to a study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), it turns out that only 10% of textile waste is disposed of separately. In the case of Catalonia, this percentage is 18,630 tons of clothing and other textile materials In 2020.
The report, published in the journal ‘Total Environmental Science’ and prepared by researchers Gemma Morell, Laura Talens and Susana Toboso, sheds light on and quantifies current textile waste management practices carried out by both citizens and management bodies. environmental impact.
The results show that 10% are collected separately through special containers on the street, clean points or door-to-door collection. 80% is recycled or reusedmostly through vFind it at thrift stores, flea markets or other industries.. The remaining 20% is burned or thrown into landfills.is stored or treated as inappropriate waste.
Half of what is recycled or reused is sold in Spain, while the other half is exported to countries in Asia, Africa and the rest of Europe.
“The main destination for clothing is Pakistan, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and Cameroon. Only Pakistan imported 3,500 tonnes of used clothing from Catalonia in 2020” says Gemma Morell, first author of the study.
Reuse and recycle
Researchers underline the truth 50% of clothing suitable for reuse and recycling is exported to low- or middle-income countriesWhere purpose and destination are unknown, evidence of this “It is moving the problem to other places without producing a sustainable solution.” Morell says it is aimed at textile waste.
In the study, citizens’ behavior towards the separation of textile waste is analyzed. Citizens describe these containers as charitable and believe that they are only for clothes in good condition, so they take the clothes they think are in bad condition to the green bin or, most importantly, throw them into the gray bin.
Citizens are not aware of this All clothes left in both special containers and clean spots go to the same placecompetent management companies and said that possibly both clothes in better condition and clothes in worse condition could be used.
“It is true that a cotton t-shirt with holes will not be sold in a second-hand store, that is, it will not be reused. But with this t-shirt, a new garment can be knitted, perhaps using recycled yarn, that is, it is recycled. And it is better than throwing it in the gray container and burning it directly or throwing it in the landfill,” explains the researcher.
Research on the environmental impact of textile waste shows that: Selective collection emits 40% less CO2 equivalent than non-segregated collection (will be directed directly to landfills and incinerators).
The carbon footprint produced by one tonne of clothing managed through non-selective collection is 353 kilograms of CO2 equivalent; This figure is much higher than the 207 kilograms of CO2 equivalent produced by one tonne of selectively collected clothing.
Reduce clothing consumption
“Disposing of clothes in relevant containers is the most sustainable option. If we take this into consideration; In Catalonia, an average of 22 kilos of clothing is consumed per person per year.Even in an ideal scenario where only selective collection is used, getting rid of these clothes per person, the same environmental impact as traveling from Barcelona to New York by plane 7 times in tourist class,” he explains.
Like this, Researchers remind of the need to reduce the production and mass consumption of clothing and promote eco-design by producing quality, durable piecesPriority is given to the use of single materials and recycled materials from the same textile industry.
this is necessaryrevitalizing the second-hand market And Improve garment repair to extend its useful life. “The first thing to do when an item of clothing needs to be thrown away is reuse or if you can’t then yes recyclebut always through processes performed locally,” they say.
Also don’t forget this New European regulations that will require separate collection of textile products in municipalities are planned to come into force next year.. This will force institutions to facilitate separate collection and improve the now limited management capacity of authorized companies.
The results of the investigation align with warnings made six years ago. Human NGO Fundación Pueblo para Pueblo About the fact that in Catalonia only 10% of discarded clothes are recovered (for recycling or reuse). It was later emphasized that: 140,000 tons of textile waste is generated annually in Catalonia but “unfortunately” most of them are burned.
Reference work: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723067207
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