Textile waste management practices

Textile waste originates from the community via a number of streams including the textile and apparel industry, consumers, the commercial and service industries. There are two main categories: post-consumer and pre-consumer textile waste. Pre-consumer apparel cutting waste requires a different approach to waste management. In the case of apparel cuttings, reuse is not a viable option; therefore, the apparel cutting waste stream can be best managed by recycling. In order for apparel cutting waste to become a valuable resource, certain amount of processing is necessary to deliver goods that are sorted by fibre content or colour, packed in a suitable manner. A significant amount of pre-consumer textile waste is generated in N. Macedonia, a material with retained physical and mechanical characteristics. This waste is not sorted (mainly due to lack of workers), which is the main precondition and obstacle for its further processing.