Sort textile waste from 2025. every resident will have – MadeinVilnius.lt

12.6 million are generated in the EU per year. tons of textile waste, reports the Ministry of Environment (MoE). According to statistics provided by specialists, currently 22 percent post-consumer textile waste is collected separately for reuse or recycling – the rest is incinerated or disposed of in landfills. In search of a solution to the problem, the MoD launched publicity campaigns encouraging the choice of reusable products and the reuse of items. One of them will soon touch everyone – from January 1 next year. textile sorting will be mandatory. In turn, the Ministry of Economy and Innovation (EIMIN) prepared a package of measures for an effective transition to a circular economy, which also includes the textile industry.

In Lithuania, the container system for collecting textiles was started to be implemented several years ago and is constantly being expanded, emphasizes the AM. Statistics show that from 2020 the amount of separately collected textile waste and its reuse has doubled.

“Currently, textile waste in Lithuania is converted into lower-value products and materials – cloths, non-woven materials, etc. – only a few companies recycle. Waste from textile production is used to create new products only by schools, kindergartens or creative workshops, so it constitutes only a small amount of recyclable waste”, comments the head of the Waste Policy Group on the “Tvari Lietuva” initiative. specialist Eglė Ginčienė.

She emphasizes that although the network of textile containers in Lithuania is being expanded, it is still insufficient. For this reason, from 2025 January 1 separate collection of textile waste will be mandatory.

In order to reduce the amount of textile waste, the EU will allocate 10 million. euros

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of circular economy goals in the textile sector, the Lithuanian State Waste Prevention and Management Plan 2021-2027 envisages the implementation of publicity campaigns encouraging the choice of reusable products and re-use of items, popularizing waste sorting collection, the Ministry of Economy states. At the same time, it is planned to expand the number of missing bulky waste collection sites, ensuring their convenient accessibility according to population density, to develop the infrastructure for the sorting of household textile waste, and to finance its modernization.

By reducing the amount of textile waste, promoting their recycling, measures for textile rental and repair businesses, textile recycling technologies from EU structural funds until 2029. it is planned to allocate 10 million euros.

Not all textile products can be recycled

One of the companies engaged in renting textiles and recycling the majority of the rented products assures that it has been working on the principle of circular economy for many years. Lindström, a textile rental company, is committed to 2030 to halve the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and by 2050 to reach net zero. Also, the organization has set a goal by 2025. recycle textile waste 100 percent. and achieve that 30 percent the textiles purchased contain recycled or bio-based fibres.

When it comes to textile recycling, company representatives say that they are fulfilling this goal in the case of clothing, but they are still looking for a solution to recycle end-of-use mats – they are made of rubber and polyester, and separating these materials, according to them, is a complex process.

Specialists emphasize that when transitioning to a circular economy, it is important not only to ensure the highest possible percentage of product material recycling, but also to optimize other processes.

“The use of single-use or short-use products is often excessive. For this reason, we have also optimized the maintenance processes of our products – although we save water, electricity and other resources, our customers also contribute to the preservation of nature in this way,” they emphasize.

Some consumers do not save textile products

The interlocutors of the “Sustainable Lietuva” initiative emphasize that they are facing a challenge – according to them, not all consumers conserve textile products. This usually means higher costs for the customer, and additional work for the company in renewing the textile.

“It is true that there are industries where clothing inevitably has a greater burden. For this reason, for some customers, not saving clothes is even allowed,” they emphasize.

Less environmentally friendly clothes are repaired – company representatives say this saves about 4 million. textile products (36 percent of all rented work clothes).

According to specialists, many business representatives are still inert and tend to buy rather than rent textile products. It is true that attitudes are changing, but it is happening slowly. According to “Lindström”, the changes are mostly determined by the international experience coming to Lithuania and the stricter directives of the European Commission on sustainability and the promotion of the transition to a circular economy.

ELTA reminds that Lithuania’s recent goal is to achieve a circularity index that would not be lower than the EU average (the circularity index of Lithuania in 2021 according to Eurostat data was 4 percent, the EU average was 11.7 percent). In order to implement this, at the beginning of this week, the project “Billion for business” was launched. During it, loans will be provided for projects aimed at investing in environmentally friendly technologies, increasing circularity, decarbonization, energy efficiency, implementation of low-waste, advanced, innovative and digital technologies, as well as the development of production capacities of high value-added products and the defense and security industry.

EIMIN also emphasizes that the circular economy model includes sharing, renting, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products in order to extend the life cycle of products. According to EIMIN, the increasingly popular rental business is also one of the components of the circular economy.

Reda Barkauskaitė (ELTA)