Used textile collection
A used clothing collection service with the aid of special containers was commenced in July 2012 on the basis of the successful functioning of this model in Austria, where FCC makes pick-ups from approx. 1000 locations with containers for collection of used textiles and is thus the largest consumer of this commodity in the country.
The main benefits of the service offered include decrease in the amount of un-sorted solid municipal waste, reuse of textiles (wearing) as well as material and energy recycling.
What lies behind the words “used textiles” and how can these materials be reused
For us to avoid clothing becoming merely regular waste over time, we can collect it and then reuse it. Most used clothing and textiles collected can still perform their original function. The remaining part, which can no longer perform its original function, is cut up into smaller pieces and recycled as cleaning aids, or recycled for reuse in the textile industry. It can also be used as a source of energy.
Textiles suitable for further use are understood to mean various types of clothing from various materials (wool, cotton, linen, leather, silk, polyamide, polyester, polyethylene, etc.), including footwear, blankets and bed sheets. The economic value of an older textile item is determined in part by its usability in terms of its original function, i.e. as clothing and subsequently, to a lesser extent, by the usability of its components (fibres) in terms of material or energy utilisation.
How does textile collection work?
Containers for collection of used clothing are specially modified for collection of textiles. Characteristic places for location of containers are car parks at large shopping centres, hypermarkets and other busy locations close to municipal institutions or collection yards.
What happens to clothing collected by FCC?
Practice is practically the same as in all other companies and charity organisations which operate collection of used clothing via their system of containers. The collected items are stored until carted away in plastic bags or containers placed in a dry location and are subsequently carted away in large amounts in lorries. They are sold without prior selection to a company specialising in sorting, selection and packing of used clothing. Reuse of the material takes place independently of our company.
FCC uses the money gained from sale of used clothing to cover costs relating to collection and cartage as well as contributing towards charitable causes. We have been cooperating with the Diocesan Charity in Brno since 2011 and over this period, we have managed to collect more than 141,000 kg of clothing in the South Moravian Region.