Textile recycling needs to be taken more seriously if we are to reduce the amount we currently send to landfills. And while textile recycling has been around since the Middle Ages, we need to look at how this can be done more efficiently and on a larger scale.
One more recent innovation has been textile shredding, where garments are fed through an industrial clothes shredder and returned to separate fibres. Let’s take a closer look at the world of uniform shredding services.
Why Are Textiles Shredded?
If they are still in good shape, used clothes can be resold or donated to charity. Worn textiles – particularly more absorbent materials such as cotton – can be cut down and used as industrial wipes. If they are in too poor condition for even this they can be shredded to make fibres. But in some instances, shredding is the only option.
Uniforms are used to instantly confirm the wearer’s identity and role. This might be a police officer, paramedic, security guard, utilities engineer or charity volunteer. This instant recognition bestows them with the authority to take control of a situation, the clearance to enter restricted areas or the confidence of the public.
Impersonation – when someone fraudulently poses as one such person – is often used for criminal purposes but even when it is harmless in intent, lives can be put at risk. Such authorities and organisations must therefore have a robust policy to prevent such incidents. The safest means of preventing an incident is to shred all worn, surplus or outmoded uniforms.
It’s a similar story in the fashion industry where manufacturing surplus, old stock and counterfeit goods are destroyed to protect the brand image of fashion houses, by preventing goods that are easily associated with a brand from finding their way illegally onto the market.
Who Uses Shredded Textile Waste Fibres?
Textile recycling waste can be used for a wide range of products. In a similar way to recycled paper fibres, they can be added to virgin textile fibres to make new garments and other yarn-based products such as carpets.
Recycled fibres also make excellent padding material. This can be used in plush toys, mattresses, soft furnishings and upholstery, once again replacing virgin materials and reducing the energy consumption of manufacturing virgin materials.
Another area where recycled textile fibres excel is soundproofing. Acoustic office screens and sound-deadening panels in vehicles are just two examples of where they are used for this purpose.
Who Offers Uniform Shredding Services?
An organisation that requires uniform shredding services needs a supplier with not only an industrial-grade clothes shredder that can handle textile recycling but also the required certification to securely handle and destroy the uniforms.
SECUREBRAND is a secure textile recycling service offered by Avena Group. Already a trusted supplier of secure document destruction services, Avena has both the equipment and the qualifications to protect your brand, your identity and the public against uniform theft and impersonation at every stage of the destruction process.
For a free, no-obligation discussion about how SECUREBRAND can keep your brand, your reputation and the public safe, call us today on 0845 521 9892 or fill in our online
contact form for a prompt response.
