Clothes and Textiles

Household Recycling Centres

All sites have collection banks for clothes and textiles. Once full, the banks are emptied onto a larger vehicle and taken to the sorting facility. Items are sorted and graded several times by highly skilled operators to ensure that only high quality, desirable used clothing is exported to overseas partners. Approx 10% of the textiles collected are sold in the UK, the rest go overseas. There is a high demand in Africa, Asia & Eastern Europe.

Some items that are not fit for export can be cut and processed into industrial wiping cloths or classified for fibre reclamation. Items that are heavily soiled (especially paint or oil) and beyond repair cannot be reclaimed. The only option for these items is the bin, sadly, which is why it's so important to care for our clothes. Textiles that are destined for recycling as industrial wipes pass through our high sensitivity metal detector to ensure that they contain no contaminants.

Did you know clothes and textiles are easy to repair or resell, so why not check out LoveYourClothes.org.uk to find out how to get started. Or download our easy guide. 

Bilston - All clothes and textiles are sent to a facility in Bilston, West Midlands.

660 tonnes of clothes and textiles are collected for recycling at Household recycling Centres in Buckinghamshire each year.

You can read a detailed breakdown from the reprocessors for more information.