Securely destroying and recycling corporate clothing and PPE
Recycling Lives’ unique textile recycling services specialise in the secure destruction and recycling of corporate clothing and all associated PPE e.g. safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses.
Recycling fabric waste through a secure, audited process, we work to have your old textiles reworked into a brand-new fibre.
In the past, clothes recycling has relied on the intrinsic value of the garments, with quality clothing being re-sold in the UK via the charity sector or exported to developing countries. None of these markets have an appetite for corporate clothing, which is typically soiled as well as uniform in style and colour, making it unattractive in the UK or export markets.
Added to this, many organisations require a secure process for handling branded items, to control how and where their branding is seen.
Our secure and audited textile waste recycling process provides a sustainable solution to these problems. We take corporate clothing waste, often made from man-made materials that would otherwise be unrecyclable and give them a new lease of life as Waste Processed Fibre or Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).
All the textile waste we receive is taken to a textile recycling facility before it is sorted into four grades for clothes recycling:
1) RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel)
This is the lower grade of waste. It includes any PU-backed nylons, PTFEs and leather. This would include items like waterproof coats, trouser belts, safety boots and baseball caps as well as heavily soiled textile waste. These items are compressed into fuel pellets for use in waste to energy.
2) WPF (Waste Processed Fibre)
This higher grade would include items like work trousers, polo shirts, formal shirts, jackets, blazers and pullovers. The best items for this grade need to include a natural fibre element so things like poly-cotton polo shirts and work pants.
3) Fleece Jackets & Polyester clothing
Polyester fibres cannot be processed with the WPF. Instead they are used in the thermal bonding process for some WPF applications.
4) Other
We recommend that all textile waste is kept dry and free from contaminants prior to processing to ensure the best possible results.
The Duty of Care Regulations state that as a waste holder you must take all reasonable steps to:
In addition, any waste holder must ensure that waste is transferred to a business or individual that is:
We can only recycle textiles that are dry and free from other contaminants like food waste, oil and fluids. Wet or contaminated waste is almost impossible to process and waste that can be recycled into WPF must also be clean.
We’ve operated in the recycling sector for 40 years - learn more about our history and impact to date
We’d love to hear from you - contact us about recycling waste, working together or joining our team
We service all sectors - see how we can manage your waste for environmental and social benefit
Josh Steiner Social Value & Sustainability Manager Wates Group
Recycling Lives has reaped the rewards of strong commercial and social credentials to secure large-scale contracts. Read moreRead less
Change the way you do business - talk to us today about managing your waste, supporting our charitable programmes or joining our team.
