Clothing Donation Bins: Sirene Cleife

We are fortunate to have two clothing charity bins in Codford, located opposite the back entrance to the bar.  Have you ever wondered what happens to clothes once you have posted them into the donation bins?  I had this thought so did some research and learned a lot.  Some bins will have stickers telling you where that charity sends their textiles, but if not, then this is generally what the process is.

The clothing will first go to a sorting facility where the items will be processed into categories for reuse and recycle.  Some facilities are staffed by volunteers, and some are very high tech indeed, with cameras and sensors that can recognise and sort according to colour or fabric.  A spectrometer is a gadget that can pick up the wavelengths of the fabric  – polyester, for instance, will give off a different wavelength from cotton. The cameras and the computer work together to translate that information into a sorting process and then, at the right moment on the item’s journey down the conveyor belt, it gets sent into the appropriate bin.

The better-quality clothing may be sent to be sold at that particular charity’s retail shop (if they still have them).   Some of the remaining textiles can be sent to other charities for sale or distribution both here in the UK and abroad.

Items that are worn, torn and at their end of life go to a fibersort facility.  Nylon, for example, can be chemically turned back into oil.  Blended materials are being used for furniture fillings.  Other fabrics can be shredded, decoloured and remade into fibres that can be used to make another item of clothing.  If the charity has green credentials they will aim to ensure nothing goes to landfill. At the very worst it will go to waste that is incinerated for energy.