Rags, wipes, cushion stuffing: aren’t there other, more promising avenues for our damaged clothes that end up in landfill?
“I wonder what to do with worn-out clothes that would be inconvenient to send to the thrift store because they have holes or are downright torn,” asks reader Emma Boileau. Should we put them in the trash or can we collect them somewhere? »
Marianne Coquelicot-Mercier, circular economy advisor in the textile industry, hears this question a lot. “I try my best not to answer it directly because the solutions are extremely limited,” she says.
There is currently no systemic solution to the issue of excessive volumes of post-consumer clothing that is in poor condition and cannot be reused or resold.
Marianne Coquelicot-Mercier, circular economy advisor
Recyc-Québec confirms that textile recycling outlets in Quebec are currently very limited. However, the needs are enormous. Textiles represent approximately 6% of materials eliminated in Quebec, according to 2019-2020 characterization data from Recyc-Québec. In 2011, they accounted for 3.1% of the total eliminated. New data must be revealed in the fall.
“End-of-life textile recycling involves significant technological and financial challenges, in particular the separation and sorting of textiles by fiber category for recycling and outlets,” underlines Moise Alex Docteur, spokesperson for Recyc- Quebec.
Mixing fibers within a single garment is one of the main challenges of mechanical textile recycling, as is removing hard spots like zippers, buttons and rivets. This is why textile recycling carried out in Quebec is mainly limited to post-industrial fabrics, such as the end of batches, which can be transformed into stuffing or carpets.
Projects in motion
The future is not gloomy, however. Marianne Coquelicot-Mercier notes a marked interest in this question, both in research centers and in thrift stores, here and abroad. In Paris, the young company FabBRICK transforms textiles into pretty decorative bricks, while several companies are exploring the promising possibilities of chemical recycling.
Marianne Coquelicot-Mercier collaborates in particular with Recyclo-Centre, a social economy company in Sorel-Tracy which has started a textile packaging project in order to find outlets for the large quantity of clothing in poor condition that it receives and which cannot be resold in its thrift store. Breaking the fibers of clothing to make building insulation or craft materials is the avenue being explored.
In the meantime, what should we do with these jeans that are so worn out that we no longer dare to wear them? The trash can rather than the donation center, it seems logical. However, points of view differ on this subject. On its website, Renaissance asks not to bring damaged clothing. The app Where is it going? from Recyc-Québec also indicates that clothing in poor condition should go in the trash.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alexandra Gagné, deputy director of Recyclo-Centre
Alexandra Gagné, deputy director of Recyclo-Centre, does not agree: “We must maintain the message that thrift stores and resource centers can accept all donations and that we are capable of sorting them adequately. » To insist otherwise, she continues, would mean that too many clothes would end up in the garbage and that it would probably be very difficult to change this habit when a Quebec company is ready to collect these textiles at the end of their life.
This is also what Stéphane Lamarche, director of Le Chaînon stores, says. “We determine ourselves in sorting what we can resell and repair. » In addition to responding to requests from designers or artists, the organization plans to inaugurate a recovery center by the end of the year where volunteer seamstresses will be able to repair slightly damaged clothing and where stained pieces will be cleaned.
We have already started to keep clothes that can be repaired, those with a broken zipper, those with small holes to mend or a missing button.
Stéphane Lamarche, director of Le Chaînon stores
Even if the project has not yet been officially launched, a seamstress has already started work and the repaired clothes can be found on the shelves of the Chaînon stores. Renaissance also launched a similar project.
At Le Chaînon, what cannot be repaired is sold by weight to a reseller who is able to find outlets, although, laments Stéphane Lamarche, it is difficult to ensure that certain clothes will not end up in a landfill. Africa.
The same goes for clothes placed in collection boxes installed in the stores of major brands such as H&M, Zara and Uniqlo. Even if they all pride themselves on being able to give a second life to the clothes received, whether through reuse or recycling, a survey by the Changing Markets Foundation showed that certain clothes from these brands have been destroyed, lost or sent to Africa.
“Clothes that can be worn again are sold as second-hand clothing, while old clothing and textiles that cannot be resold are reused or recycled into new products and fibers,” an H&M spokesperson assured by email. .
But, before thinking about recycling, it is better to reduce. What if that slight tear in your blouse could be mended?
A word to the readers
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
By spacing out renewals, it is possible to reduce the number of medication vials, argues a reader.
Three in one
Given the difficulty in getting my containers reused at the pharmacy, I asked for my three-month renewals. This is a little-known option and has more than one advantage: we reduce the number of vials used, but also the costs and the number of visits to collect our medications. Obviously, this option is possible for medications taken over a long period and whose dosage is stable.
Geneviève Côté
Read the article “Extending the life of pharmacy vials”
Green light
“Recyclable”, really?
PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE LPC AVOCATS SITE
Certain bags identified as recyclable are not accepted in sorting centers in Quebec.
Eight large brands having sold bags identified as recyclable, even though they are not accepted in sorting centers in Quebec, will have to defend themselves in court. On May 22, the Superior Court of Quebec authorized a class action worth 10 million against Dollarama, the SAQ, Rona and Metro in particular, who are accused of greenwashing and false declarations. The file will make it possible to mark the use of the term “recyclable” which is currently not regulated in Quebec.
Read the details of the class action
Red fire
PHOTO DADO RUVIC, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Toxic products have been reported on clothing and accessories sold by the Chinese giant Shein.
More toxic products in Shein clothing
A CBC investigation denounced it in 2021, as did a Greenpeace report the following year. But history repeats itself. Toxic products have been reported on clothing and accessories sold by the Chinese giant Shein, including some for children. According to AFP, inspections by authorities in the city of Seoul, South Korea, showed that some products had high levels of phthalates, including shoes that contained 428 times the permitted limits.
Read the article from Agence France-Presse