The Process

1. Collection
Textile recycling begins with the collection of garments from consumers. This can be through a number of routes including charity shops, bring banks, door-to-door collections or local authority recycling centres. Many retailers also offer consumers the option to donate their used clothing in store.

2. Sorting
Clothing is usually manually sorted into different groups. The best quality garments are generally resold and re-used either in the UK or abroad. Lower quality garments undergo a recycling process and where garments are heavily soiled they may then go for incineration or to Landfill.

Image credit: ©European Recycling, part of the SOEX Group