Researchers from the University of Waterloo and Seneca College, Canada have developed a new method to evaluate a textile item’s quality from A to F that tells whether it can be resold, recycled, or tossed.
The new method revealed that more than 50 percent of textile waste in Canada could be reused. But only a quarter of it could be recycled. Canada currently has no standard procedure for sorting out used textiles. The researchers identified items separately from accessories, soft toys, and shoes in addition to clothing and home textiles.
The researchers acquired the services of the students of the University as well as professionals from the fashion industry to sort out materials. These services were acquired to ensure proper grading and evaluation of the conditions of these items. The items were graded according to their condition. For instance, a pair of damaged and stained jeans might be placed in grade D. This item could be flagged among the items that could be sent for repair and resale.
The head of the research said that the consumption of fashion articles is at a historic high. He said the purchase, use, and disposal of these items have also increased. The garments that are disposed of mostly end up in landfill and less than one percent of the material is recycled. The new testing method would help better after the use of the disposed of materials.
The study determined that items graded A to D made up more than half of the current waste stream, so could be resold or reused. This finding emphasizes that there are many opportunities to divert textile waste in Canada, yielding massive benefits.
A researcher said prudent use of used material will conserve resources and divert a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. He claimed the yearly greenhouse gas emission saving through this method would be equivalent to driving 310,000 cars, plus supplying energy to 218,000 Canadian homes and filling 35,000 Olympic pools of water.
