Recycling of clothes that are unfit for wearing

AndrewJRenko

I'm at the very 'slow fashion' end of the spectrum, having some clothes that are twenty years old or more. It's funny when old photos come up, and I'm going 'yeah, still have that t-shirt or those shorts'. By the time I'm ready to dispose of clothes, they generally are unfit for anyone to wear, whether though staining or odour or wear.

Is there any point in putting these clothes into the clothes recycling bins? Most of them seem to suggest that they want stuff that can be reused somewhere, even if this means exporting to Africa. I think Liberty used to actually recycle the material and fabric, but I couldn't find a bin near me last time I went looking.

Is there any good recycling option for very well worn clothes?

Facthunt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058320603/recycling-of-clothes-that-are-unfit-for-wearing

Yes there is. That charities get €€ for every ton of material! I usually let worn jerseys, socks, trousers with holes, worn shirts or outdated clothes mainly to the bins! I don’t think they take boxer shorts or soiled clothes (eg old painting clothes if you know what I mean!!).

elperello

They get recycled as wipes for use in factories etc.

Better to use the bins in municipal facilities where they are less likely to be contaminated or interfered with

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121312318#Comment_121312318

Do we have such municipal facilities here?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121323259#Comment_121323259

I think most local authorities have them but I don't know if they all have clothes banks.

You'd need to check your own local authority website.

My local place keeps the clothes bank beside the security hut so it's supervised during the day.

Out of hours the yard is locked so nobody can interfere with the bin.

Believe it or not some people dump domestic waste in them when they are left in car parks or forecourts etc.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121323661#Comment_121323661

There's nothing on my local authority site (dlrcoco.ie) about clothes recycling. They refer to MyWaste.ie which just mentions clothes banks, with nothing to distinguish between clothes that are fit for wear or not.

https://www.mywaste.ie/what-to-do-with/clothes/

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121323803#Comment_121323803

Ballyogan takes textiles including old clothes.

Just scroll to the bottom of this link and download the pdf.

https://www.dlrcoco.ie/recycling-centres/ballyogan-recycling-park

I didn't check the other facilities but you'll know which will suit you best.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121323862#Comment_121323862

But what do they do with them? Do they recycle or reuse or what? That's the core of my question.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121327655#Comment_121327655

This is what should happen but if the clothes get into the wrong hands they can get dumped.

https://www.mywaste.ie/what-to-do-with-textiles/#:~:text=Some%20textiles%20are%20not%20suitable,for%20instance%2C%20as%20furniture%20stuffing.

monseiur

Google Mountain of dumped clothes in Chile's Atacama desert

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121329219#Comment_121329219

Shocking stuff.

https://www.fodors.com/world/south-america/chile/experiences/news/the-atacama-desert-is-being-used-as-a-dumping-ground-for-fast-fashion

But the OP has already done the hard yard by wearing the clothes almost to destruction.

And now prepared to do the right thing by recycling them.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121329048#Comment_121329048

Thanks, that's helpful

gossamerfabric

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121327655#Comment_121327655

There is a supply chain in place. The charity shops get paid by the ton for rag but the charity shops really want resaleable clothes i.e. good quality clothes from brands rather than disposable fashion from the chain stores. A good charity shop manager will do the sorting of clothes themselves as the "volunteers"(sent by social welfare office) generally have no clue what donations of clothes are worth putting out on the floor.

The rate per ton in Ireland is not as good as in other countries.

Furze99

Who'd want yer smelly jocks OP? Just put them in the bin collection, save the environment elsewhere and let them be burnt to a crisp by Covanta.

Robert333111

Recycling clothes may seem like a good idea, but unfortunately there appears to be a lack of discrimination as to the quality of them, so that any old clothes are put into those "recycle" / charity bins, a large part of which then get dumped in African countries.

Quote: '[…] You might argue that selling usable clothes to Africa is part of a sustainable circular economy. But the idea of shipping stained, ragged garments from Europe or the United States to Africa is in no way ethical. According to Oxfam, more than 70% of the clothes donated globally end up in Africa. In many African countries, the second-hand Western clothes market has been criticized for destroying the local textile industry and some countries have even banned the importation of used garments. Our findings showed that rich countries are dumping their waste problem onto the African continent — even if the charities promise otherwise. […]'

Source: "Global Investigative Journalism Network":
I'm not yet allowed to use Links, but in your web browser you can find the latter by searching (without the quotes):
"How They Did It: Using Trackers to Investigate Where Unwanted Clothing Ends Up'