A charity has announced plans to recycle used polyester clothing so that it can be used to make new clothing; this is the first of its kind, according to the charity.
At its facility in Kettering, Northamptonshire, the Salvation Army is utilizing "circular" technology in an effort to cut down on clothing waste.
According to the project, the UK produces more than 0.5 million tonnes of polyester textile waste each year.
Majonne Frost of Project Re:claim referred to it as "the future of fashion.".
According to Ms. Frost, head of environment and sustainability at the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd. (SATCoL), the business arm of the Christian organization that operates a network of charity shops, "when your favorite jumper is worn out, we will take it and turn it into polyester pellets, ready to be turned back into a new jumper.".
The majority of polyester waste currently generated in the UK is burned or dumped in landfills.
SATCoL has partnered with Project Plan B, a company that manufactures clothing from recycled materials.
At its charitable outlets, The Salvation Army receives millions of donations of clothing.
There are always some items that are too damaged for us to sell, and they frequently are polyester-made clothing, according to Ms. Frost.
"This is the fashion of the future. " .
At SATCoL's plant in Kettering, which the company claims already houses the UK's only automated textile sorting system called Fibersort, a machine made by Project Plan B will be installed.
The material will now be processed into polyester pellets by Project Plan B's newly installed machinery, which can then be used to make new textiles and ultimately new clothing.
The way clothing is created and designed needs to undergo a seismic shift, according to Tim Cross, CEO of Project Plan B.
Recycling polyester textiles is one of the best ways to lessen the negative effects of clothing production. " .
In its first year, the new pellet manufacturing facility was anticipated to recycle about 2,500 tonnes, increasing to 5,000 tonnes the following year.
