30 million textile pieces
wasted each year: “The time is right for innovative solutions,” says TSA CEO.
The Textile Services
Association (TSA) is calling for the hospitality, catering and healthcare
industries to work with them in order to improve the recycling of textiles.
Every year over 30 million textile items, including sheets, duvet covers,
pillow cases and towels, are thrown away. This equates to over 2000 tonnes. The
majority of these will end up in landfill or incinerated. Meanwhile the cloth that actually does get
reused often only gets one additional use cycle, as rags in sites such as
garages, before also being disposed of.
Textile waste from the
hospitality industry is ideal for recycling, as it is predominantly made of
natural fibres, and white. The TSA has set up a project to research potential
recycling solutions for the industry. It has teamed up with Swedish company Södra, which has pioneered a method that takes textile and
re-engineers it into a pulp that can be used to spin cotton fibre yarns. A test
shipment was recently sent to them to determine how suitable it will be for use
in the UK.
Members of the TSA
are well positioned to facilitate the recycling of textiles. Over 90% of hotels
in the UK are serviced by TSA members, which will enable them to easily handle
the logistics of the proposed recycling scheme. “We want to be part of the
solution,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “So far our members have been
very enthusiastic about the potential for them to help industries reducing
waste and improving sustainability.”
The TSA is also in
talks with UK Hospitality about the possibility of including staff uniforms in
the scheme, which account for an additional four million items annually.
Recycling uniforms is more complex as they often use a mix of different
materials and accessories that require separation first. Going forward, designing
uniforms for recycling is one of the solutions being discussed.
“We are delighted
to be working with the TSA on their recycling project and it compliments
perfectly our current campaign of Net Zero
Carbon by 2030,” says Kate Nicholls OBE, Chief Executive of UK
Hospitality.
Stevens adds,
“It’s a win-win for the environment as landfill use and incineration is reduced
alongside less need for new cotton. It’s estimated that 20,000 litres of water
are required for every kilo of cotton grown, not forgetting the risks of
fertiliser run-off. Anything that
reduces the impact this crop has must be good.”
With more
companies and business sectors looking for innovative ways to reduce their
environmental impact David Stevens feels the time is right to consider bold and
innovative solutions to the larger issues they face. “We welcome all the
feedback we’re getting and call on more stakeholders to come forward to discuss
the individual needs of their businesses in order to make this scheme a
success,” he says.
For more
information about the TSA recycling scheme, email tsa@tsa-uk.org.
The TSA is the trade association for the textile care
services industry. The TSA represent commercial laundry and textile rental
businesses. Membership ranges from family-run operations through to large,
multi-national companies. Visit www.tsa-uk.org
for more information.
Press Enquiries:
The
Publicity Works: 01263 761000; tim@publicityworks.biz
David Stevens, CEO, Textile Services Association,
T: +44 (0)20 3151 5600 M:
+44 (0)7966 531954 E:
david.stevens@tsa-uk.org