What is Textile Recycling: Definition and Meaning

Last updated on December 26th, 2025 at 11:01 pm

Definition of Recycling

Recycling can be defined as the process of reusing or making new products from the waste materials. It has many benefits. Such as it reduces fresh raw materials consumption, energy consumption, air and water pollution and so on. By recycling, we can reduce the waste and also reuse the product that has originally served its purpose.

Definition of Textile Recycling

We put our garments, curtains, pillow covers, bed sheets, towels, etc. in our wardrobes or cupboards that we don’t need any more. Some of us pass them on to charity and reuse organisations, and some reuse them.

Textile recycling is a system of reusing or reprocessing or remaking the used clothing, rugs, fibrous materials, etc. We can also reuse or reprocess carpets, towels, tyres, footwear, sheets, blankets, etc. Approximately 1.5 million textiles that we can reuse or recycle are unnecessarily put into the rubbish bins.

Textile recyclers make the old clothing and fabrics into new products. The materials are sorted, cleaned and turned into new products. At first textile recyclers pre-sort the materials according to composition, size, color etc. to separate any reusable product and then send it for resale. For example, in Toronto, collection boxes on street corners are operated by charities to collect the clothing and fabrics. Reusable materials are sent to resale, and the rest are to be recycled. Nowadays, famous retailers like H&M, American Eagle, and Marks & Spencer also accept textiles for reuse and recycling.

Importance

The importance of textile recycling is as follows:

• It reduces waste and also landfill space.
• It reduces the greenhouse gases, as when the textiles are burnt, gases are produced.
• It reduces air and water pollution.
• It reduces energy consumption.
• It reduces use of fresh raw materials.
• It creates economic development.
• It helps to reduce the unemployment problem.

Procedures

The procedures are as follows –

For reusable Textiles

At first the textiles are carried by trucks to the sorting plants. Then these are sorted by types (tops, bottoms, T-shirts, denim, etc.). These are also sorted by quality and brands. The high qualities are sent to the local market again. Like in America, these are sent to the North American vintage shops. Then the lower qualities are compressed and bundled. The bundles are arranged in the shipping containers and sent all over the world for resale.

For unusable Textiles

At first the textiles are sorted according to the origin. They are separated as natural and synthetic fibres.

In the case of natural fibres – first these are sorted according to the type of material and color. Color sorting reduces the dyeing cost of the fabrics. Then the textiles are shredded and converted into fibres. The fibres are then made into yarns and the yarns into fabrics. Sometimes some fibres are also used for other purposes, like filling pillows.

In the case of synthetic fibres – The textiles are shredded and processed into chips. Then the chips are used to produce synthetic filaments or yarns.