Level 2 - segregate, label and store the waste by composition
Step 1 - Segregation of the textile leftovers
Segregation is obligatory to increase the value of those leftovers and reduce manual work in sorting the waste for different recycling purposes later on.
Collection and segregation of textile leftovers will happen in the cutting floor by composition, parallel to the fabric cutting process. All waste should be kept separate by type of waste and by composition category to maximise the value of the waste for next possible users. However, if waste segregation is not yet common for the facility, we suggest to pick a few of the most common categories of waste with best market value (e.g. 100% cotton cutting scraps, light colours) to start with.
Here is a list of suggested waste type categories (not comprehensive). The categories that are most valuable for reuse or recycling are marked in bold.
| Yarn production | Open-end yarns Ring-spun yarns |
Short fiber droppings / carding waste Comber noil (spinning waste, short fibres) Spinning waste (soft) - long fibres Flat strip waste Yarn waste (hard) not treated/sized/starched Yarn waste (hard) treated/sized/starched Roving waste Sweeping waste Other spinning waste |
| Fabric production | Light knit (jersey) Sweatshirt Heavy knit Terry Rib Denim Light woven (non-denim) Heavy woven (non-denim) Non-woven |
Dust / droppings Knit mill waste Weaving (loom) waste Selvedge Knotting and gaiting waste Mixed mill waste Deadstock fabric (>10 yards), categories A, B, C (A - no defects, B - mild defects, C- heavy defects Rejected fabric Sampling & lab-testing waste |
| Garment and home textiles production | Light knit (jersey) Sweatshirt Heavy knit Terry Rib Denim Light woven (non-denim) Heavy woven (non-denim) Non-woven |
Cutting scraps / clippings / cut pieces Cut panels Roll ends (<10 yards) Deadstock fabric (>10 yards) Rejected fabric Overstock, ready-made products without defects Rejected products, defected Sampling & lab-testing waste Mixed waste from ready-made product production |
The suggested composition categories for segregation are:
| Composition | Other characteristics |
| 100% cotton | Solid colours kept separate by colour (white, cream (light colours, black, navy/blue/indigo are more in demand), Ring-spun yarn fabrics kept separate Waste without brightening agents, AZO dyes kept separate |
| 97% cotton 3% elastane | Solid colours kept separate by colour |
| 95% cotton 5% elastane | Solid colours kept separate by colour |
| Cotton-polyester mixes, no elastane | Keep separate by exact composition Segregate by colour group (light, dark, solid vs printed / yarn dyed) |
| Cotton-viscose mixes, no elastane | Keep separate by exact composition Segregate by colour group (light, dark, solid vs printed / yarn dyed) |
| 100% polyester; 100% viscose; 100% nylon, 100% acrylic; 100% wool, etc. | Keep separate by exact composition Segregate by colour group (light, dark, solid vs printed / yarn dyed) |
| Other waste types | Can be mixed by colour and composition, but if kept separate by composition, market value may be slightly higher than for mixed waste |
Additionally, keeping waste separate based on the certificate of the fabric or brand whose production waste is coming from could be considered. This is feasible only if waste with a certain certificate or brand is representing significantly big share (>50%) of the total waste in the facility and does not significantly increase the waste categories of segregation in total.
Step 2 - Labelling of the waste bags
The waste segregated by type and composition need to be labelled accordingly as soon as possible in production (e.g. next to cutting line) to avoid any miscommunication of the content of the bag. We suggest to print the labels out and attached with the laying sheet and passed on to the cutting floor.
The label has to be comprehensive enough so that the content and level of segregation can be identified by the waste handler or recycler at a later stage. Label should carry the minimum of following fields (please consider this as an example):
| Category ID | TC - 123456 |
| Source | Factory XYZ |
| Waste type | Knit cutting scraps |
| Composition | 100% cotton |
| Certificate | Oeko-tex 100 |
| Brand | Brand ABC |
Category ID is the code that is generated by RR online inventory system which enables to identify the right data in our system for the waste handler at the next stage.
Step 3 – Storage of the waste
Once the fabric against a laying sheet is cut and the scraps are dumped into the waste collection bins, the cleaning personnel should empty the bins and store the scraps by categories so that the label on the bag represents the content of the bag.
The emptying of the bins should occur when the cutting as per a particular laying sheet is complete or the bin is full. Labels from the laying sheet should be attached onto the bags, once the bags are closed.
Important: collected waste materials should not be contaminated with the sweeping dust from the floor or the waste collected from the sewing floor.
Bags are then moved and stored in the waste store.
Waste should not be stored openly without bagging it first to avoid any unwanted contamination (e.g. metal particles for roofing may cause significant challenge for some recyclers).
No additional sorting, cleaning, baling, shredding or other processes are expected from the waste suppliers, such services can be carried out by the nominated waste handlers appointed by Reverse Resources. However, if you prefer carrying out such processes in your own facility, this can be taken into consideration. Please inform us about this by selecting relevant options in the "Waste" tab under facility profile.