Creating the best possible conditions for recycling textile waste starts with the citizens. In order to reuse and recycle as much textile waste as possible, it is important that all citizens understand that their textile waste can become a resource rather than waste if it is sorted correctly and how this is done in practice. This requires clear and targeted communication.
At the NewRetex sorting plant in Rødkærsbro, textile waste is sorted for recycling using robot and sensor technology. They receive textile waste from 13 municipalities in Denmark - around 20% of the Danish population. At NewRetex, they see how incorrectly discarded textiles complicate the sorting process and recycling opportunities.
Tender coordinator at NewRetex, Frederik Søby, talks about studies that show that each citizen generates approximately 7 kilos of textile waste per year in Denmark. But at NewRetex, they only receive 1.7 kilos per citizen. Therefore, according to Frederik Søby, there must be large amounts of textiles that, for example, have ended up in small combustibles, even though they could have been recycled. NewRetex also finds that approximately 14% of the collected textiles are wet or moldy and therefore cannot be recycled.
Frederik Søby believes that this calls for more information for citizens about how textiles should be thrown away and sorted correctly. He explains that bad stories in the press about waste management that hasn't worked make citizens question whether there is any point in sorting their textile waste.
That's why he believes it's necessary to bring more of the good stories to light. In addition, there is a task in clearly communicating how you as a citizen are part of the solution to a global problem if you sort your textile waste correctly and how to do it in a very practical way.
One of the good stories comes from the small town of Aulum outside Herning. They have had good experiences with clear communication and citizen involvement in connection with the collection and sorting of textile waste.
In 2021, Herning Municipality included Recycling and Waste as a project partner in the pilot project 'Textile Symbiosis'. The project was led by Lifestyle & Design Cluster and had two objectives. To ensure the best possible utilization of textile resources and to collaborate with local companies to test new innovative solutions in the search for new business models for textile waste.
As part of this project, a trial was launched in Aulum in November 2021. The trial was to test a new way of sorting and disposing of textile waste that would hopefully be both practical and transparent for the citizens of Aulum. Recycling and Waste in Herning Municipality borrowed 7 containers from the Red Cross, which were placed next to the existing containers for recycled textiles. All containers were then covered with pictograms indicating whether the container was for recycled clothing or textile waste for recycling. This would allow citizens to easily and quickly dispose of both their recycled clothing and their textile waste at the same time.
In addition to the trial itself, Herning Municipality's Recycling and Waste Department worked hard to communicate the purpose of the trial to all citizens in Aulum. Line Fyrstenborg, environmental communicator at Recycling and Waste, explains that many different tools were used to reach as many citizens as possible. Among other things, hangers were distributed to households on bins throughout Aulum. In addition, posts were made on local Facebook groups and information about the trial was sent out to Aulum residents who had signed up for the municipality's SMS and email service. However, they also took a more unconventional approach and chose to hand out rum balls in the parking lot of Rema 1000, where they told people about the trial, and to give presentations to middle school and high school students at Aulum school.
The trial and the clear communication to the citizens of Aulum proved to be successful. When the trial ended in February 2022, great results were measured. During the entire trial period, a total of 3524 kilos of textiles were collected. It was determined that 81% of the textiles were sorted correctly. 6% was recycled clothing that had ended up in the textile waste container, and finally 13% was unsuitable for recycling.
The trial in Aulum showed that the citizens generally showed a good understanding of the difference between second-hand clothing and textile waste for recycling, and a follow-up questionnaire confirmed that the vast majority of citizens were positive about starting to sort textile waste. The Aulum project thus became a positive story that will hopefully inspire others and provide ideas for new methods to continue working with.
If you want to read more about the project in Aulum, you can find it here.
