ENVIRONMENTAL

TECHNOLOGY

BEST PRACTICE

PROGRAMME

GG84GUIDE

REDUCING COSTS THROUGHWASTE MANAGEMENT: THE COTTON ANDMAN-MADE FIBRE SECTOR

GOOD PRACTICE: Proven technology and techniques for profitable environmental improvementGOOD PRACTICE: Proven technology and techniques for profitable environmental improvement

© Crown copyright. First printed June 1997. This material may be freely reproduced except for sale or advertising purposes.

Printed on paper containing 75% post-consumer waste.

REDUCING COSTS THROUGHWASTE MANAGEMENT: THE COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRE SECTORThis Good Practice Guide was produced by the

Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme

Prepared with assistance from:

ECOTEC Research and Consulting Ltd

This Good Practice Guide is one of a series of four Guides on solid waste management in the textilesindustry. Each of the four should be read in conjunction with a separate leaflet, Waste Minimisation- Elements for Success (ET80), and each Guide can be read as a stand-alone publication for thesector concerned:

■ worsteds and knitwear;

■ woollens;

■ cotton and man-made fibre;

■ garment manufacturing and household textiles.

The cotton and man-made fibre sector has high raw material costs and low profit margins.Substantial amounts of solid waste - cotton and man-made fibre waste, yarn cones and packaging- are generated which account for a significant proportion of operating costs. Reducing waste cantherefore make a considerable difference to a company’s profits and competitiveness.

This Guide seeks to encourage companies to minimise their waste and, where waste is unavoidable,to dispose of it in the most cost-effective way. Practical measures are suggested to help companiesin the different sectors reduce, re-use and recycle their solid waste. Various possible markets existfor cotton and man-made fibre waste, including: textile merchants and reclaimers; healthcareproducts; felt manufacture; shoddy clothing; household textiles; agricultural uses; geotextiles; andindustrial applications. Card and paper waste can also be recycled, while the market for plasticswaste is growing.

Cotton waste in the spinning sector amounts to 10-15% of total cotton consumption, and in theweaving and finishing sector to 5-6%. Although waste quantities in the man-made fibre sector areless significant, they nevertheless represent a considerable amount of money. Mixtures of cottonand man-made fibre are much more difficult to re-use or recycle, making waste preventionimperative when spinning and weaving mixed fibres.

Most companies in the cotton and man-made fibre sector also generate large quantities of wasteyarn cones, plastic bags and cardboard cartons. The landfill tax has increased the cost of wastedisposal to landfill for all companies, while new regulations on packaging waste have given addedimpetus to the need to develop recovery and recycling schemes for packaging waste.

Industry Examples throughout the Guide highlight the cost savings and other benefits achieved bytextile companies that have already adopted a structured waste management approach with anemphasis on waste minimisation, re-use and recycling.

S U M M A R Y

Section Page

1 Introduction 1

1.1 The cost of waste in the cotton and man-made fibre sector 2

1.2 Cost savings from waste minimisation 4

1.3 The purpose of this Good Practice Guide 5

2 Waste management opportunities in the cotton and man-made 6fibre sector

2.1 Obtaining value from your waste 6

2.2 Cotton and man-made fibre waste 6

2.3 Used yarn cones 7

2.4 Packaging waste 8

2.5 Reducing disposal costs 10

3 Waste management opportunities in blending, carding and spinning 11

3.1 Waste prevention 11

3.2 Waste re-use, recycling and sale 12

4 Waste management opportunities in weaving and finishing 14

4.1 Waste prevention 14

4.2 Waste re-use, recycling and sale 16

5 Markets for solid waste 17

5.1 Cotton and man-made fibre waste 17

5.2 Card and paper waste 19

5.3 Plastics waste 19

5.4 Wood waste 19

5.5 Markets within company groupings 19

6 Conclusions and action plan 20

Appendix Useful contacts 22

C O N T E N T S

Waste costs money. Each year, waste can cost the average UK manufacturing company 4% ofturnover. Reducing the amount of waste your company produces will save you money which willincrease your profits and help you to remain competitive. Most companies can achieve savingsof at least 1% of turnover through waste minimisation.

Even companies which seem efficient produce waste. Waste is not just discarded solid materials. Italso includes wasted time, loss of materials to air and to drain, excessive use of energy and water,and product giveaway through overfilling packages and containers.

One company involved in a waste minimisation initiative had originally estimated its annual wastecosts at something over £70 000, although no single person or department could quantify theprecise value or volume of the different waste streams. A waste survey showed the true figure tobe much larger. The companies involved initially identified possible savings of £1.4 million.

Waste minimisation is a systematic approach to minimising the production of waste at source. Acompany can usually reduce the amount of waste it produces. Alternatively, there may be ways toput unavoidable waste to good use through re-use or recycling. Finally, a company may have toconsider treating its waste to make it less harmful to people and the environment. Fig 1summarises this ‘waste management hierarchy’.

Fig 1 Waste management hierarchy

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I N T R O D U C T I O N1

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1

BEST PRACTICE

Minimise

Re-use

Recycle in-house

Recycle off-site

Treat

Sound waste management practices have many advantages for companies in the cotton and man-made fibre sector, including:

■ Lower operating costs due to:

- reduced cotton and man-made fibre consumption, ie increased yield;

- reduced consumption of other raw materials, eg packaging;

- reduced waste disposal costs.

■ Increased revenue from unavoidable waste.

■ Improved site efficiency.

■ Improved product quality.

■ Enhanced public image. This will make your company more attractive to customers andinvestors and help it retain its place on approved suppliers’ lists.

1.1 THE COST OF WASTE IN THE COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRE SECTOR

1.1.1 Cotton and man-made fibre waste

Waste is purchased raw material that is subsequently not sold as product. This is particularlysignificant for companies in the cotton and man-made fibre sector where raw material costs arehigh; cotton typically costs at least £1.20/kg, polyester at least £1.10/kg and nylon around£2.10/kg.

These costs generally represent a high proportion of operating costs, while profit margins are oftenless than 5% of turnover. Although the industry has traditionally regarded itself as ‘thrifty’, fibreand packaging waste levels are still significant.

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Real benefits from systematic waste minimisation

An independent weaver in East Lancashire began monitoring its various waste streams andsystematically identified options to eliminate or reduce them.

As part of this waste minimisation programme, the company prepared an action plan andproduced graphs showing the amount of waste generated each month as a percentage ofproduction throughput, ie the number of pieces produced.

This approach became part of a wider environmental and quality management system andenabled the weaver to reduce its waste to less than 3%, improving site efficiency andsaving money. The company is committed to reducing waste even further through aprogramme of continuous improvement.

Waste reduction increases profits

Assume that a textiles company with a £4 million turnover makes 5%, or £200 000 profit eachyear. Waste costs the company around £120 000, or about 3% of turnover, as a result ofunnecessary material costs (reduced yield) and disposal costs. Reducing these costs by only10% will put £12 000, or an extra 6%, on the bottom line. In many companies it will bepossible to reduce waste by 25% or more, adding at least 15% to the profit.

1.1.2 Packaging and other solid waste

Most companies in the cotton and man-made fibre sector dispose of large quantities of plastic yarncones, plastic bags and cardboard cartons - often without recovering any revenue and sometimesat a significant cost.

Introduction of the landfill tax in October 1996 significantly increased solid waste disposal costs forall textile companies, while the UK Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste)Regulations 1997 have implications for most companies.

For advice and information about current regulations governing the disposal of solid andother wastes, contact the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

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Yarn waste in the cotton and man-made fibre sector

Spinning sector Waste = 10 - 15% by weight of cotton consumption.

A spinner using 2 500 tonnes of cotton/year typically produces 250 - 375 tonnes of cottonwaste. The figures are even higher for low-grade cotton. For cotton costing £1.20/kg (morefor higher quality cottons), this level of waste represents £300 000 - £450 000/year, excludingsales of waste.

Weaving sector Waste = 5 - 6% by weight of cotton consumption.

A mill processing 3 000 tonnes of yarn/year typically produces around 180 tonnes of wastecotton. For yarn costing £3.50/kg, this represents £630 000/year, excluding sales of waste.

Man-made fibre sector

Waste quantities are less significant than for spinning and weaving, but they still represent aconsiderable amount of money.

UK Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations

These Regulations apply to companies that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a yearand have a turnover greater than £5 million/year (this threshold will reduce to £1 million/yearin 2000). Companies are required to take responsibility for the recovery and recycling of their‘obligation’ amount for particular materials. The calculation of the obligation is complex andis a function of:

■ the amount of packaging handled;

■ the activity obligation (raw material manufacturer 6%, converter 11%, packer/filler36%, seller/final retailer 47%);

■ the UK recovery/recycling targets (recovery: 40% by 1998 and 50% by 2001; recycling(by material): 8% by 1998 and 15% by 2001).

Many companies have some sort of obligation under more than one of the activity categories.A garment manufacturer, for example, would normally have responsibility for the packagingused to pack its product at the 36% and 47% obligation; the latter where packaging is usedfor transit and has no further use (it is effectively ‘sold’ to the customer).

Companies can register individually with the Environment Agency or pass on their obligationsto a collective scheme. In all cases, however, companies are required to collect data by weight.

1.2 COST SAVINGS FROM WASTE MINIMISATION

There are many no-cost and low-cost measures that your company could implement to reduce theamount of waste it generates and to manage its unavoidable waste more efficiently. Recent wasteminimisation initiatives in the UK, eg the Humber Forum Waste Minimisation Project, havedemonstrated that waste minimisation saves money and makes companies more efficient, moreprofitable and more environmentally sound.

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1Substantial savings from reducing finishing waste

A small weaver/finisher manufactures 500 pieces of cotton cloth/week, each worth £75 or£1.25/metre. Until recently, the company left 330 mm of rough, unusable material at the endof each piece to allow a semi-continuous finishing process that includes raising/cropping. Theextra length was cut off at the end of the process to give a finished 60 metre piece as requiredby the customer. The company was therefore losing about 0.55% from each piece. This wastewas costing £206/week or £10 000/year (excluding the small income from waste sales).

About 100 mm of this extra length was in the overhang beyond the seam joining adjacentpieces. The remainder was in the area of rough material containing the label which had toremain intact throughout the finishing process. The label itself was 50 mm wide.

The company was able to halve this waste to 150 mm by:

■ resetting the magic eye on the raising/cropping machine to give the minimum margin asthe stitched join approaches the cutter blade;

■ reducing the width of the label to 25 mm to fit into this smaller area of rough fabric.

Finishing waste now amounts to 0.25%, costing the company £94/week or £4 500/year. Thesesimple measures have therefore saved the company £5 500/year for no cost.

In some cases, pieces can be joined using special sewing machines. This virtually eliminates theseam overhang and reduces the waste still further to around 60 mm. Introduction of new barcodes capable of surviving the finishing process would allow the effective label width to bereduced to 6 mm or less and thus produce further savings.

A realistic waste of only 20 mm/piece would produce savings of over £9 000/year.

1.3 THE PURPOSE OF THIS GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE

This Good Practice Guide provides a framework to help companies in the cotton and man-madefibre sector save money and improve their environmental performance to become more profitable -achieved through a systematic approach to their solid waste management. A range of practical no-cost and low-cost measures - with an emphasis on waste minimisation - are suggested, both ingeneral (Section 2) and sector-specific (Sections 3 and 4). Possible markets for waste materials fromthe cotton and man-made fibre sector are also discussed in Section 5.

Generic measures applicable to all sectors of the industry are summarised in a separate leaflet,Waste Minimisation - Elements for Success (ET80), which should be read in conjunction with thisGuide and is available free of charge through the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

The Industry Examples in this Guide highlight the considerable cost savings and other benefits thathave been achieved by textile companies that have already followed a systematic approach to theirwaste minimisation. The practical measures described in this Guide will be useful to companies ofall sizes and to those seeking to reduce their waste within the framework of an environmentalmanagement system (EMS) such as ISO 14001 or the EC Eco-Management and Audit Scheme(EMAS).

There are four stand-alone Good Practice Guides in this series on solid waste management in thetextiles industry. These Guides, which are all available free of charge through the EnvironmentalHelpline on 0800 585794, cover:

■ worsteds and knitwear;

■ woollens;

■ cotton and man-made fibre;

■ garment manufacturing and household textiles.

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Make good practice your standard practice

This Section describes sound waste management practices of particular interest to companies inboth the spinning and weaving sectors of the textiles industry. General measures applicable to allsectors of industry are summarised in a separate leaflet, Waste Minimisation - Elements for Success(ET80), available free of charge through the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

2.1 OBTAINING VALUE FROM YOUR WASTE

■ Keep a careful record of all waste amounts. For example, you could record yarn consumptionand waste in a central log or the process operators could do this at the machine/process itself.A manager can then maintain an overall record of yarn/packaging consumption and wasteproduction in a central ‘waste management file’ or book. It may save time in the long run ifyou enter all records on a computer spreadsheet.

■ Motivate staff to reduce waste through training and feedback.

■ If you are part of a multi-site company or group, enquire whether your site’s wastes could bere-used or recycled by another site or part of the group.

■ Consider all wastes as a potential source of income. Where possible, give each wastequantity a financial value using the raw material and disposal costs of the relevant yarn ortextile.

■ Never consider redundant stock as waste - try to find alternative customers.

■ Separate all wastes at source in clearly labelled or colour-coded containers. Removeaccumulated wastes from working areas regularly to avoid possible contamination.

■ Make sure you are not disposing of containers that still contain yarn, cones, card, etc.

■ Contact as many different waste merchants and recycling specialists as possible to obtain thebest deal for the amount and type of waste your company produces. Specialist textilemerchants may offer a better price for a particular waste (see Appendix).

2.2 COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRE WASTE

■ Remind staff handling fibre/yarn/material of the need to keep it clean and thus avoidcontamination.

■ Keep fibre/yarn/material covered whenever possible to avoid contamination.

■ Sort all fibre and yarn waste at source and store it in covered containers with clear labels forfuture re-use or sale. This will reduce contamination and increase the value of the waste.

For example, a spinner/weaver in Lancashire stores all its non-extracted waste - eventually re-using 60% and selling 40%, so there are no disposal costs.

6

Staff incentive scheme

One weaver has achieved positive results by running quizzes with environmental themes toheighten environmental awareness among its employees. Prizes such as energy-efficient lightbulbs and home composters are awarded.

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIESIN THE COTTON AND MAN-MADEFIBRE SECTOR

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2

■ Sort wastes as much as possible according to value. For example, separate out:

- ‘soft’ unprocessed waste from ‘hard’ processed waste;

- undyed from dyed yarns;

- cottons from man-made fibre and blends.

In each case, the former is considerably more valuable than the latter. For example, somecompanies divide carding-condenser wastes into separate streams according to quality andwhether it can be re-used.

■ Where appropriate, use an ultraviolet light source to separate polyester from cotton.

■ Talk to your suppliers, eg spinners and chemical companies, about the possibility of themtaking back waste yarn for recycling.

■ Consider over-dyeing coloured yarn-waste black for re-use or resale.

■ Consider storing larger quantities of surplus yarn, eg those in unfashionable colours. You cannever be sure when a certain yarn or colour may be in demand again and thus worth its fullvalue.

2.3 USED YARN CONES

■ Separate out plastic and cardboard yarn cones for re-use or resale.

■ Make cone re-use and recycling easier by using cones printed with a code denoting the conetype.

■ Where practicable, re-use yarn cones on site. Plastic cones can generally be used many timeswhile cardboard cones can be re-used two or three times.

■ Use detachable labels or waterproof stickers rather than self-coloured cones as the latter canbe used with only one type of yarn.

■ Co-ordinate cone collections in your area wherever possible to maximise transport efficiency.This may be possible through a local waste minimisation club.

■ Stack cones inside one another to minimise the space required for storage and transport.

■ Where possible, standardise to one type of cone to make re-use easier. Urge your tradeassociation and equipment suppliers (see Appendix) to consider an industry standard forcones and for cone labelling.

■ If you have a problem with cone-machine compatibility, talk to your equipment suppliersabout the possibility of fitting adapter kits for specific cone types or to allow a wider varietyof cones. Most modern looms can accommodate almost any type of weft cone withoutaffecting product quality.

■ Mark skips clearly to avoid contamination, eg plastic cones being put in with cardboardwaste.

■ Where cones cannot be returned or re-used, sell them to plastics and cardboard recyclers.There may be a company in your local area which can use cones and which is willing toremove them from your site free of charge.

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2

Eliminating cone labelling

A company which runs a spinning mill in Northern Ireland has achieved savings of £8 470/yearby switching to cardboard cones pre-printed with identification codes. This has eliminated theneed to manually attach printed labels to cones. The payback was immediate as there wereno capital costs. Printed labels can still be used subsequently to allow re-use of the cone.

2.4 PACKAGING WASTE

■ Remember that you may now have an obligation to arrange for the recovery of a proportionof the packaging that you handle. Excess packaging will unnecessarily increase thisobligation.

■ Use returnable pallets and containers where possible and ask your suppliers to do the same.This is already standard practice in some companies.

■ Return boxes, crates and pallets to your suppliers, if possible. If not, re-use them on site, eg to separate or store wastes, or pass them to other companies that can use them.

■ Return hessian and plastic bags to your suppliers, if possible. If not, re-use them around thesite or pass them to companies that can use them. For example, large bags can be used tocollect yarn and paper waste or to collect contaminated/dirty wastes.

■ Minimise the number of different types of plastic bag on site to make recycling easier.

■ Talk to your suppliers about standardising their packaging. For example, various plastics areused for bale wrappings. Mixed packaging waste has a lower value.

■ Talk to your suppliers about making packaging easier to recycle. For example, stickers onplastic bale wraps have to be removed by hand. These stickers could be eliminated by writingdirectly on the plastic wrapping.

■ Sort all cardboard wastes at source to maximise revenue. In particular, separate out cardboardcartons as these attract a higher price. Flatten the cartons carefully to minimise storagevolumes and transport requirements.

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Cardboard segregation and sale

Until recently, a small commission weaver paid £4 140/year to dispose of cardboard packaging.Sorting allowed the number of waste skip lifts to be halved, saving around £2 000/year. Whilethe revenue from the cardboard itself amounts to around only £100/year, the total benefit of£2 100/year makes a worthwhile contribution to the bottom line.

Revenue gained from the sale of plastic cones

A small commission weaver in West Yorkshire produces 84 kg of plastic cone waste each week,for which it receives 14 pence/kg from a plastics recycler in Bradford. While this seems a smallamount, the annual saving is typically £540.

Successful re-use of plastic bags

A Lancashire weaver shares its site with a sister company that makes ribbons. Every pack ofyarn received by the weaver from its spinners is wrapped in an individual plastic bag. Insteadof disposing of these bags to landfill, the weaver passes them to its sister company to use aspackaging in the delivery of its final product.

Both companies benefit - the weaver from lower disposal costs and the ribbon-maker fromreduced expenditure on packaging materials.

■ When cartons reach the end of their useful life, add them to the paper and cardboard wastefor recycling rather than to the general waste.

■ Cover card/paper skips and label them clearly to avoid contamination with other valuablewastes, eg yarn cones and metal waste.

■ Establish a separate storage area/container for plastic waste such as worn-out yarn cones,spindles and plastic bags. You may be surprised how quickly these build up into saleablequantities.

■ If your company has large volumes of plastic and cardboard waste, consider buying or leasinga baler or compactor.

■ If your company generates large volumes of plastic waste, consider purchasing or leasing aplastics granulator. Granulated plastic is generally more valuable than plastic in bag or coneform.

■ Seek out merchants that deal in more unusual wastes such as hessian bags.

■ Look for companies that specialise in the resale or recycling of used cardboard cartons (seeAppendix).

■ Shop around for the best deal when seeking a merchant to dispose of your cardboard andpaper wastes. Even free removal of card and paper helps as this will reduce the cost of yourgeneral waste disposal.

Ask for details of recyclers and specialist waste merchants in your area from the EnvironmentalHelpline on 0800 585794.

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Substantial savings from packaging waste initiative

A company operates a modern spinning mill producing acrylic and acrylic blend yarns for theindustrial knitting sector. A major initiative to minimise, re-use and recycle packaging hasproduced savings of over £100 000/year. The projects, which had a combined payback ofseven months, included:

■ eliminating the use of polythene bags on individual cones of light-coloured yarns;

■ replacing one-trip conventional cardboard cartons with collapsible, re-usable cartons;

■ eliminating the use of polythene packaging for bales of waste yarn sent off site for re-use;

■ re-use of woven polypropylene sacking from incoming acrylic fibre;

■ recycling polythene sheeting and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) strapping fromincoming yarn bales;

■ recycling waste cardboard and paper.

Savings have been achieved through reductions in the cost of buying and handling packaging,transporting waste and waste disposal. Further details can be obtained from theEnvironmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

2.5 REDUCING DISPOSAL COSTS

Increasing waste disposal costs are having a significant impact on many companies in the cotton andman-made fibre sector of the textiles industry. Before disposing of any waste, you should considerall possible options for re-using or recycling the materials. If disposal is unavoidable, you shouldconsider ways of reducing your costs.

Waste Minimisation - Elements for Success (ET80) describes measures you can take to implement awaste minimisation plan and thereby reduce waste and disposal costs. This leaflet, which should beread in conjunction with this Guide, is available free of charge through the Environmental Helplineon 0800 585794.

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2Reduced transport costs with a compactor and baler

Use of a compactor to reduce the volume of general waste that cannot currently be re-used orrecycled has enabled the management of a spinning mill to reduce the cost of transporting thiswaste to landfill by over £5 000/year. The payback period was slightly less than two years.

The company has also bought a new baler to improve the compaction of bales of waste yarnsent off site for re-use. The more compact bales have reduced transport costs by£14 500/year, a payback of less than ten months. The baler is also being used to bale wastepackaging materials for re-use and recycling off site.

Most cotton waste from blending, carding and spinning operations consists of condenser, sliver andfly wastes. These wastes, which typically amount to 10 - 15% by weight of cotton consumption,have already been eliminated or minimised by some spinners through measures such as thosedescribed below.

3.1 WASTE PREVENTION

Waste prevention is even more important when spinning mixed fibres rather than pure cottonbecause of the recognised problems of dealing with mixed fibres.

3.1.1 Machinery

■ Consider installing pneumatic systems to move fibre during blending/carding/roving. Enclosedducting minimises the loss of fibre compared with manual transport using drums.

■ Fit opening/blending and carding/combing machinery with undergrids and extractionsystems.

■ Ensure that carding machines and other equipment are covered and fitted with an extractionsystem to minimise fly and dust in the factory. This will allow the fly to be collected for salerather than becoming part of the dirty sweepings.

■ Use carding machines which:

- have a ‘waste end return unit’, ie a pneumatic system that returns fibre waste to the feedhopper;

- monitor the thickness of the sliver produced during carding. Such monitoring will allowthe carding engine to be stopped if the sliver goes out-of-tolerance.

■ Consider using dual-feed, cross-carding machines, or a cross feed from one machine to thenext to provide high-quality and even sliver.

■ Consider fitting stop-motion and re-splicing devices when buying new spinning frames andwinding machines or when retrofitting equipment. One company estimates that it hasrecouped the cost of fitting electronic stop-motion devices within six months throughreduced yarn waste.

■ Fit spinning and winding frames with vacuum (pneumafil) extraction units to remove brokenthread to a clean, covered container.

■ Ensure that humidity and temperature control equipment is properly maintained. Less-than-optimum conditions will result in more breakages in the thread, lower productivity, lowerproduct quality and more waste.

3.1.2 Other measures

■ Keep different fibre types/yarns segregated and labelled in separate areas of the warehouse.This avoids mix-ups and potential waste.

■ Monitor waste according to the type and quality of fibre used. This will allow you to buildup a picture of the levels of waste that can be expected in each case; in general, the higherquality the cotton/fibre, the fewer the breakages and the lower the waste levels. You mayeven find that cotton from a certain supplier results in less waste than the same grade ofcotton from a different supplier.

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3

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIESIN BLENDING, CARDING AND SPINNING

3

BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

■ Plan production to minimise waste from carding and blending. For example, make surebatches of the same type of fibre/colour follow on, eg cotton follows cotton and polyesterfollows polyester. This reduces waste by removing the need for a stabilisation phase toeliminate fibre cross-contamination.

■ Encourage your cotton supplier to use high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rather thanpolypropylene (PP) bags. HDPE bags are less likely to split (causing contamination) and areeasily recycled, whereas PP bags can fail and allow contamination of the cotton and hencethe yarn and the fabric.

■ Where possible, supply yarn in carefully sealed cartons or containers. This avoids the need towrap yarn cones in individual plastic bags, saving you and your customers effort and money.

3.2 WASTE RE-USE, RECYCLING AND SALE

3.2.1 Cotton and man-made fibre waste (see also Section 2.2)

■ Put any waste from the initial blending process, eg droppings, straight back into the blend. Ifthis is not possible, segregate and store this waste so that it can be put back into the nextblend of the same quality/mix.

■ Segregate valuable wastes by type and quality, eg cotton, polyethersulphone (PES) andviscose, and store each lot for appropriate re-use. Keep a record of waste stocks by allocatingeach a lot number. If storage space is at a premium, store only the highest value yarns andthose in regular demand. Sell other wastes to a merchant.

■ Avoid mixing/blending different fibres, eg polyester and cotton, until as late in the process aspossible, eg during carding or roving rather than at the opening stage. This will make it easierto segregate any wastes.

■ During carding, cut any poor quality sliver from the collection roller and put it back into thecarding hopper. This is easier where the roller is made of steel.

■ If the carding engine cannot cope with the tightly rolled sliver waste, condenser waste andyarn waste produced, consider purchasing or leasing a pulling machine to allow their re-use.

■ Consider sending ‘harder’ wastes to be processed by a reclaimer. Some companies canrecover a high percentage of their carding wastes in this way.

■ Sell your fibre waste (see Section 5). Several spinners have found good markets even forshort-fibre carder/combing wastes. Extraction fan filter wastes are sold to a variety of end-users, eg toy manufacturers to use as stuffing, farmers to use as animal bedding andundertakers to use in coffin linings.

■ If you have a dye house on site, mixed-colour cotton waste can be re-dyed black for use inblends requiring black or for re-sale as black cotton. Good Practice Guide (GG62) Water andChemical Use in the Textile Dyeing and Finishing Industry suggests ways of minimisingchemical and water use during dyeing. This Guide is available free of charge through theEnvironmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

3.2.2 Yarn cone waste (see also Section 2.3)

■ Minimise the types of yarn cone in use. This will make it easier to re-use cones and reducecosts for all concerned. It is far easier for a weaver to deal with large quantities of one typeof cone than small quantities of many different types. Discuss the issue with your customersto establish the best practicable solution.

■ Where possible use multi-trip plastic cones that withstand dyeing pressures. These robustcones can tolerate many trips if they are returned to the spinner by the customer. The use ofnon-collapsible cones can also eliminate the need to rewind the yarn after dyeing. Thiseliminates a process, thus contributing further to cost cutting.

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3

BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

■ Consider the possibility of a deposit-return system for cones. Talk to your customers aboutthis.

■ Consider introducing a low-charge, deposit-return scheme for cardboard cones. Cardboardcones are more hardy than is commonly believed and can often tolerate two or three trips.

■ Use true cone-shaped (as opposed to cylindrical) yarn cones. These fit neatly inside oneanother, thus allowing high overall packing density and reducing cone-return transport costs.

For packaging waste see Section 2.4.

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3

Use of multi-trip yarn cones

One spinner reduced plastic yarn cone waste by maximising the use of re-usable cones.Rugged cones, which can tolerate a minimum of eight round trips via the dyer and weaver, areused wherever possible. Although such cones cost 10 - 12 pence each, the cost per trip is only1 penny (for an average life of 10 - 12 trips). This represents a considerable saving over one-trip plastic cones which currently cost approximately 3 - 4 pence each.

Although many spinners build the cost of the cone into the price of the yarn, some companieshave introduced a deposit-return system which explicitly identifies the cost of the cone. Manyweavers appreciate both the lower cost of the yarn and the opportunity to return the cones.

BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIESIN WEAVING AND FINISHING

4

For most weavers, cotton waste is typically 5 - 6% by weight of cotton consumption. Some mills,however, have already reduced waste to 3% through sound waste management practices.

4.1 WASTE PREVENTION

Waste prevention is even more important when weaving mixed fibres rather than pure cottonbecause of the recognised problems of dealing with mixed fibres.

4.1.1 Machinery

■ Consider buying a yarn length measuring machine. This will enable you to get just the correctlength of yarn on each spindle/cone on the creel. A small amount of yarn left on each conecan add up to a significant quantity over the whole of a creel. This approach can practicallyeliminate creel cone waste.

■ Make sure your creel is fitted with tensioners and stop-motions that work effectively. This willreduce the number of breakages and hence waste.

■ Consider buying a modern warping machine. Newer machines can eliminate crossed ends,producing perfect warps with less waste. Some of the latest automatic pattern warpingmachines can also eliminate the need for a creel - these are worth considering where complexpatterned fabrics are being woven from coloured yarns.

■ If you regularly make long runs of a particular cloth, consider making longer pieces usinglonger warps. This practice produces less warping waste, ie beam ends and creel waste. Forexample, a 600 metre warp/piece generates only 10% of the waste from ten, 60 metrepieces.

■ Always buy looms with stop-motion devices, ie drop-pins and magic-eyes, fitted to both thewarp threads and the weft threads. Consider retrofitting stop-motions to existing looms.

■ When considering the purchase of new looms, take into account the amount of waste a loomgenerates. For example, projectile looms generally produce less waste than rapiers and air-jets. While older rapier looms produce a wide, 50 mm selvedge on each side (100 mm totaland an inherent waste of around 7%), the latest rapier looms produce only 40 mm ofselvedge waste in total - a 60% reduction. Looms that produce a neat tuck-in selvedge willhelp reduce weaving wastes. However, you should remember that a tuck-in selvedge mayend up as waste with your customer.

■ Adjust loom settings to minimise selvedge waste. For example, the timing of the cut (on theweft feed side) and the release (on the opposite side) on a rapier loom can be adjusted tominimise the width of the selvedge. In addition, the number of warp threads in the selvedgecan often be reduced, from say 15 threads each side to 10. You should consult your loomsupplier before making such alterations.

■ Fit your looms with weft accumulators. These mechatronic devices ensure an even weft feedtension, thus minimising the number of thread breakages and improving the quality of theproduct. Because they eliminate weft tension variations, accumulators also permit most typesof cone to be used on the weft feed.

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■ If possible, buy machines with electronic control systems. Such machines are generally moreefficient, allowing optimum weaving and increased productivity.

■ When considering new equipment, discuss with your clients whether it is possible to changefrom a wet (water-jet) loom to a dry loom. Although wet looms are considered necessary formaintaining quality levels for some types of nylon and polyester yarns, damp selvedge wasteis much more difficult to recycle or sell.

■ Keep up with machine developments via trade journals and equipment suppliers. Forexample, there are new looms under development that, in conjunction with the established,stop-motion mechanism, allow the automatic rethreading of broken yarn and machinerestart. This reduces machine downtime and minimises fabric defects and faults.

■ Evaluate the savings potential of various loom attachments. While these can addconsiderably to the cost of new looms, the payback is often shorter than you might imagine.Good Practice Guide (GG82) Investing to Increase Profits and Reduce Wastes explains how tocarry out a simple financial appraisal. The Guide is available free of charge through theEnvironmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

4.1.2 Other measures

■ Keep different fibres/yarns segregated and labelled in separate areas of the warehouse. Thisavoids mix-ups and potential waste.

■ Talk to your supplier about minimising the amount of packaging used to deliver yarns, etc.In most cases, it is acceptable for the yarn to be delivered in sealed containers withoutindividual plastic wrappings.

■ Use a light box to perch material as soon as it comes off the loom. Correct any faults on theloom immediately to avoid a recurrence in subsequent pieces.

■ Consider using portable equipment for material testing, eg for colour accuracy. This removesthe need to take samples from the production piece for laboratory testing. Care should betaken to ensure readings are valid as certain instruments can be sensitive to temperature andhumidity changes.

■ Take care when marking pieces of material with order/batch numbers. Keep the area usedas small as possible.

■ Manufacture only the length of material ordered by the customer. Avoid the temptation toover-produce to ‘be on the safe side’ and be aware of the margin of error in your variousprocesses. Unless you have a specific outlet, eg a factory shop, over-production is merelythrowing away profits.

■ When adding trimmings, supply the operator with pre-cut lengths of the material to avoidcareless over-use.

■ Use the minimum of materials to package your final product. Over-packaging can introducea range of direct and indirect costs and increase your obligation under the new packagingregulations.

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4.2 WASTE RE-USE, RECYCLING AND SALE

4.2.1 Cotton and man-made fibre waste (see also Section 2.2)

■ Consider buying or hiring a winding machine. Such machines allow small amounts ofresidual yarn to be wound onto a new cone to produce a large usable cone.

■ Consider weaving lower quality fabrics with mixed remnants of yarn.

■ Consider using waste yarns in the selvedge warp yarns. This can reduce selvedge waste costsconsiderably.

■ Where waste quantities are small, provide separate storage containers within easy reach ofseveral looms to allow simple separation of yarn types and colours at source.

■ When producing a wide product range and with production runs repeated at intervals, storeexcess yarn for re-use in the next production run.

■ Where economically feasible, mend all material faults.

■ Consider regrading fabric, eg from a chintz second to an industrial fabric. Good markets canusually be found for seconds. For example, many printers use large pieces (up to 200 metres)of cotton as a lead-in material to clean the rollers at the start of each print run.

4.2.2 Yarn cone waste (see also Section 2.3)

■ Encourage your yarn supplier to deliver yarn on re-usable plastic dye cones wherever possible.

■ Where possible, return used cones to your original yarn supplier for re-use.

■ Talk to your supplier about the possibility of deposit-return schemes for cones. Evencardboard cones should be returned to the spinner/dyer where practicable, since they can beused for rewinding after dyeing.

■ Where it is not possible to return cones to your supplier (eg with a non-UK supplier), re-usecones on site or within the company/group, passing cones to the spinners or dyers who usethis type, for re-use.

■ When you need to buy additional cones (eg to allow full cones to be split onto part-cones/spindles for the creel), buy used cones wherever possible to encourage recycling withinthe industry.

For packaging waste see Section 2.4.

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Efficient packaging of pieces

A small spinner/weaver in Lancashire used to wrap cloth pieces individually and then packthem together in a polypropylene (PP) bale. Pieces are now wrapped individually in polythene.

The benefits of this change include:

■ no further need to buy PP;

■ less packaging waste;

■ lower disposal costs;

■ pieces can be carried by hand instead of needing a crane to move the bales;

■ no need to sew bales, thus saving labour costs and bale hooks;

■ containers and aircraft holds can be packed more efficiently, thus reducing transportcosts and lowering the export price.

The reduction in waste alone has produced annual savings of several hundred pounds,while the lower labour costs and improved export competitiveness have added thousands ofpounds to the bottom line.

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5.1 COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRE WASTE

The market for textile wastes varies considerably over time. While traditional markets for cottonwaste have diminished, new markets are developing. It is, therefore, worth keeping track of thelatest developments and market prices.

The main markets for cotton and man-made fibre waste are indicated in this Section. Mostcompanies deal directly with a waste merchant/reclaimer who passes on the waste and reclaimed‘flock’ to felting companies and other end-users. In some cases, it may be worthwhile approachingthe felting and end-user companies directly.

Note that even your low quality wastes such as fly waste and sweepings still have a value.A market can generally be found for even the shortest fibres and dusts.

5.1.1 Textile merchants and reclaimers

Textile shoddy merchants and reclaimers are located predominantly in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Aselection of these companies is listed in the Appendix.

Shoddy merchants trade in waste fibres and materials, while reclaimers take fabric waste and turn itinto shoddy - including garments - and other hard waste such as yarn. Reclaimers ‘willow’, ‘pull’and/or ‘garnet’ this waste to produce separate fibres. These are then blended to produce flock,which can be re-used for lower quality products including certain felts and blankets. Some reclaimersproduce higher quality fibres where the natural and man-made fibre content is tested and certified.

In some cases, there may be an advantage in dealing mainly with one company. Some merchantsspecialise in certain fibres and will buy predominantly from a particular sector. Some companiesoffer six-month contracts, during which period they are obliged to collect all waste, albeit at avariable price. However, it is worth contacting the merchants occasionally to obtain the best pricefor your particular type and quantity of waste. Prices vary considerably as a result of instabilities inboth UK and overseas markets. It is also in your interests to encourage your waste merchants toconsider all possible markets for their waste, including those noted below.

5.1.2 End-use markets

Textile manufacture

A significant quantity of textile waste from the cotton and man-made fibre sector is re-used byspinners and by the chemical companies that manufacture fibres and filaments.

Natural fibres and, to some extent, man-made fibres can be reclaimed for re-use, eg in spun yarnblends. Additionally, chemical companies that supply man-made fibres can now reclaim fibres - egpolyester, nylon 6 and nylon 6.6 - through depolymerisation and subsequent repolymerisation of theresulting monomers. These chemical companies, therefore, offer a market for certain types of purewaste.

Shoddy clothing and rugs

After a severe decline in the UK during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, a handful of new shoddymanufacturing companies have been set up to supply ethnic style clothing in particular. Loomselvedge can be used directly in the manufacture of lower quality rugs. This sector has the potentialto expand and should therefore be considered as a potential route for fabric and other textile wastes.

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M A R K E T S F O R S O L I D W A S T E5

Paper manufacture

Cotton, sisal, manila and hemp are used extensively throughout Europe in the manufacture of paperproducts, including wet-strength papers/sacks and banknote-style papers. This market is extremelylarge.

Healthcare and surgical products

Cotton and viscose are used extensively in healthcare products, eg feminine hygiene, disposablenappies, dressing pads and wipes. Excluding the large market for nappies, over 24 000 tonnes of shortcotton fibres (mainly first-cut linters from ginning) and viscose are used in the UK for such products.

Household textiles and toys

Flocks, felts and other reclaimed textiles are still used widely:

■ as wadding for mattresses;

■ as upholstery wadding and webs;

■ in duvet and pillow fillings (new and recycled polyester);

■ for the manufacture of dish-cloths, dusters and mops;

■ to stuff toys.

The overall UK market is estimated at around 45 000 tonnes/year.

Another use for textile waste - around 5 000 tonnes/year - is in carpet underlay.

Agricultural markets

Agricultural uses have traditionally offered an important outlet for textile wastes. Short-fibre waste- including extraction fan filter waste and sweepings - is often referred to as ‘shoddy manure’. It iscurrently used as fertiliser, offering valuable nutrient content and good water retentioncharacteristics. In the USA, cotton waste is used - with added supplements - as cattle feed. Textilewastes are also used for cattle bedding.

Seed-impregnated felt ‘reclamation blankets’ are now being employed, for example, in theinnovative Landlife derelict land reclamation scheme on Merseyside. The ‘blankets’ are laid on bareor rotavated ground to provide a firm base for growing seedlings. This market could increase,particularly if a derivative product can be developed for home gardeners. Production of a cheappeat substitute is another possibility for the use of textile waste in the garden, although it would beimportant to ensure that there was no risk of contaminants entering the food chain.

The presence of certain trace chemicals can limit the use of textile waste in agriculture and otherland applications. Readers are advised to contact the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794 forinformation about the current legislative position regarding the application of textile wastes to land.

Construction and landscaping

Woven and non-woven (bonded) textile meshes and webs - known as geotextiles - are usedextensively in civil engineering and landscaping to provide soil stability, enhance plant rooting andscreen out weeds. Even loose fibres can be used in conjunction with jute/hessian/polypropylene,providing a possible route for the re-use of bale sacks and short-fibre waste. Woven and non-woventextile wastes can also be used in sound insulation and heat insulation products.

Automotive applications

Automotive applications such as upholstery, sound insulation, anti-rattle pads and mouldings forvehicles remain an important market for certain textile wastes. The automotive market reliesincreasingly on recyclable materials, eg polyester is used widely in the manufacture of mouldedinterior car parts.

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Other industrial markets

A sizeable market for cloth waste exists within industry. This market includes wipes and, in somecases, chemical spillage kits. It may be possible to sell certain wastes directly to local companiesinvolved in engineering, printing, surface coating, road haulage, etc.

5.2 CARD AND PAPER WASTE

The UK has numerous card and paper waste merchants and recyclers, both large and small. Someare listed in the Appendix. However, the market for paper and cardboard waste tends to fluctuategreatly and this is reflected in the prices paid. The price can also vary considerably from companyto company, depending on such factors as volume and degree of contamination. It is worthcontacting paper/card merchants regularly to obtain the best deal.

There is a separate market for cardboard cartons and boxes, which attract a much higher price thannormal card waste.

5.3 PLASTICS WASTE

The market for plastics waste is growing, and there are now many plastics recyclers operatingthroughout the country. The price paid depends on the type of plastic, cleanliness andquality/grade. Many recyclers have now invested in full washing equipment which should allowgreater use of contaminated plastics, eg dirty ‘tops’ bags. In addition, processes are now availablewhich allow dirtier feedstocks to be used for extrusion and compression moulding. Even if you havepreviously been unable to find a market for your plastics waste, it is worth contacting recyclers andwaste exchange companies again in the light of these developments.

Although granulation machinery is expensive to buy or hire, it allows plastics waste to be sold directto plastic moulding companies at a much higher price. However, this is only worthwhile for largercompanies and for formal/informal company groupings.

5.4 WOOD WASTE

Most towns and cities have at least one pallet merchant who will be prepared to buy good qualitypallets. Although good quality wooden pallets can be re-used, many pallets are designed to besingle use only. Companies using cheap wooden pallets to manufacture chipboard products maybe prepared to remove such one-way pallets, perhaps free of charge.

5.5 MARKETS WITHIN COMPANY GROUPINGS

Company groups are in an ideal position to re-use their wastes in other parts of the operation. Thisavoids the need to pay disposal costs or for waste exchange services. Material costs are alsoreduced.

The grouping need not be a commercial one. There may be scope for informal arrangementsbetween local companies, perhaps using environment business clubs or waste minimisation clubs asthe link. The aim should be overall minimisation of waste across the group of companies, preferablyco-ordinated from a central point.

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This Good Practice Guide describes a range of practical ideas to help you reduce waste, save money,and increase your company’s revenue from unavoidable waste. Many of the measures involve littleor no cost and are applicable to companies of all sizes. Measures that do involve some capitalexpenditure generally have a payback period of less than two years.

Many of these practical measures are already being implemented within the textiles industry.Examples throughout the Guide demonstrate how companies that have adopted this positiveapproach to solid waste management are achieving real bottom-line savings.

For large companies wishing to implement a waste minimisation programme, a detailed, systematicapproach to waste reduction is discussed in a series of three complementary Good Practice Guides:

■ (GG25) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Raw Material Use;

■ (GG26) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Reducing Water Use;

■ (GG27) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Teams and Champions.

For smaller companies and growing businesses, further ideas may be found in:

■ Good Practice Guide (GG38) Cutting Costs by Reducing Waste: A Self-help Guide forGrowing Businesses;

■ Finding Hidden Profit - 200 Practical Tips for Reducing Waste (ET30);

■ Good Practice Guide (GG82) Investing to Increase Profits and Reduce Wastes.

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C O N C L U S I O N S A N D A C T I O N P L A N6

ACTION PLAN

The message is clear. If you want your company to stay ahead or at least keep up withthe competition then:

‘Make Good Practice YOUR Standard Practice’.

Read Waste Minimisation – Elements for Success (ET80), available free of chargethrough the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

Decide which of the general waste minimisation measures described in ET80 andSection 2 are appropriate to your company and begin to implement them now.

Consider the waste management measures specific to your sector (see Section 3or 4). Identify those that are appropriate and begin to implement them now.

If waste is unavoidable, keep up to date with market changes (see Section 5) andmake sure you obtain the best possible price for your different wastes.

All these publications are available free of charge through the Environmental Helpline on0800 585794.

The Environmental Helpline can also:

■ arrange for you to be sent other relevant Environmental Technology Best Practice Programmepublications;

■ tell you about relevant environmental and other regulations that could affect your operations;

■ arrange for a specialist to contact your company free of charge if you employ fewer than 250people.

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A list of useful contacts is given below. This listing is not exhaustive and has been compiled frominformation currently available to the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme. Thelisting of an organisation should not regarded as an endorsement of its services or products by theProgramme. Similarly, the Programme makes no claim for the competence or otherwise of anyorganisation not listed.

Further advice may be obtained from the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

Company Telephone Nature of business

Paper/card

Bargain Box Company 01484 435322 Carton merchants

Biffa 01494 521221 Paper/card and plastics

recycling

Blackburns of Dewsbury 01924 465958 Paper and card merchants

Davidsons Waste Paper 01924 475245 Paper and card merchants

Leicester Paper Processors (Midland Waste) 0116 289 3421 Carton recycling/general

waste

M&B Haulage and Waste Paper Services (Dewsbury) 01924 498199 Paper and card merchants

Plastics/cones

AB Plastics 01274 394887 Plastics recycling

Quay Plus 01535 609194 Plastics recycling

S & G Ellis 01924 260167 Polythene bag recycling

Winding Cones 01535 275125 Yarn cone recycling

Textiles

J Bevan Robinson 01274 567476 Textile merchant

Clegg Wools 01484 435222 Wool/textile merchants

J H Cockroft 01422 373311 Wool/textile merchants

A N Cooke 01924 464361 Wool/textile merchants

F Cordingley 01274 724680 Wool/textile merchants

Henry Day & Sons 01924 464351 Wool/textile merchants

Evergreen 01924 453419 Shoddy garment

manufacturer

Haines Brothers 01455 845855 Wool/textile merchants

Harr & Rhodes 01274 660018 Wool/textile merchants

Landlife (Merseyside) 0151 728 7011 Derelict land reclamation

charity

James Robinson Fibres 01274 689400 Wool/textile merchants

Metex 01254 793893 Textile merchant

I & A Peacock 01274 602316 Wool/textile merchants

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Company Telephone Nature of business

SRM 01257 475115 Textile merchant

M J & G Stross 01924 465904 Wool/textile merchants

T D Whitfield 01274 613106 Wool/textile merchants

Other

Allertex 01274 723783 UK agents for Dornier and

Benninger textile machinery

Irojex Ltd 0116 269 7989 Suppliers of weft feeders

Waste Exchange Services Ltd 01642 606055 National waste merchants

Trade associations

British Apparel and Textile Confederation 0171 636 7788

Council of British Cotton Textiles 0161 834 7871

Local Action for Textiles and Clothing 01484 450146

Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Clothing 01623 440612

and Textile Association

Northern Ireland Textiles and 01846 689999

Apparel Association

Scottish Textile Association 0141 226 3262

Textile Finishers Association 0161 832 9279

Technology development

British Textiles Technology Group 0161 445 8141

UMIST Textiles Department 0161 200 4128

The Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme is a joint Department of Trade and

Industry and Department of the Environment initiative. It is managed by AEA Technology plc

through ETSU and the National Environmental Technology Centre.

The Programme offers free advice and information for UK businesses and promotes

environmental practices that:

■ increase profits for UK industry and commerce;

■ reduce waste and pollution at source.

To find out more about the Programme please call the Environmental Helpline on freephone

0800 585794. As well as giving information about the Programme, the Helpline has access to

a wide range of environmental information. It offers free advice to UK businesses on technical

matters, environmental legislation, conferences and promotional seminars. For smaller

companies, a free counselling service may be offered at the discretion of the Helpline Manager.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ENVIRONMENTAL HELPLINE

0800 585794e-mail address: etbppenvhelp@aeat.co.uk

World wide web: http://www.etsu.com/ETBPP/