This study investigates the characteristics of post-consumer textile (PCT) waste collected separately as well as disposed of in municipal waste in terms of its reusability and recyclability. The geographic focus of this study is on previously under-researched EU Member States in South and Eastern Europe. An international consortium of partners collected 18 tonnes of waste from three countries: the Czech Republic, Romania, and Italy (with separately collected Italian textile waste being sorted in Bulgaria) between November 2023 and June 2024. Currently, literature provides limited information on the quantities and qualities of textile waste in these areas. However, it is urgently needed due to the increasing volumes of PCT waste being disposed of and separately collected across Europe and the pressing need to enhance sustainable waste management practices.
The study findings show that textiles intended for re-use and recycling are mostly sorted for re-wear in the EU (40%), with further equal shares (22% - 23%) for re-use outside the EU and open/closed loop recycling. It was assessed that most (~75%) textiles exported for reuse outside the EU are without noticeable defects. However, a significant portion, approximately 25%, does have noticeable defects. The share of local re-wear in the EU is higher than previously reported, suggesting different sorting standards applied in East-Europe than in other EU regions. On average, >65% of these textiles are mostly fibre blends or cotton-rich materials, and have a composition that would enable mechanical or chemical fibre-to-fibre recycling from a technical perspective.
On average 7.1% of textiles by volume were found in mixed municipal waste samples (TMW), with up to 14% of the mixed municipal waste consisting out of textile waste in Romania. This share that is higher than the commonly assumed 5-6% based on studies in West-European Member States. Hence, local re-use (see above; up to 40% on average) may not necessarily lead to a long-term reduction in textile waste, particularly when involving low-value textiles end up ultimately in mixed waste. These findings suggest that a proper sorting up to acceptable quality standards is an essential element for sustainable textile waste management. The textile waste ending up in mixed waste also represents a limited potential for re-use (below 10%) and recycling (24.5%), but pre-treatment and the separation of non-textile fractions in the waste may further increase recyclability.
This study concludes that the material composition of PCT makes it a largely recyclable stream. Hence, waste characteristics are not a barrier to enable an environment for the capturing and the processing of the increased volumes of textile waste into recycled fibres for apparel, or other open and closed-loop recycling techniques. However, proper sorting at the household and sorting centre level are paramount for further increase feedstock availability for recycling.
BAKOWSKA Ola;
MORA Irlanda;
WALSH Saoirse;
VAN DUIJN Hilde;
NOVAK Marijana;
CHERUBINI Giorgia;
JOSHI Richa;
MORBIATO Alessandro;
VISILEANU Emilia;
VESELÁ Andrea;
RYŠAVÁ Eva;
HOLICKY Martin;
HUYGENS Dries;
2025-04-23
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC141441
978-92-68-25278-9 (online),
OP KJ-01-25-156-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC141441,
10.2760/3332076 (online),
