GG79GUIDE

REDUCING COSTS THROUGHWASTE MANAGEMENT: THE WOOLLEN SECTOR

GOOD PRACTICE: Proven technology and techniques for profitable environmental improvement

© Crown copyright. First printed May 1997. This material may be freely reproduced except for sale or advertising purposes.

Printed on paper containing 75% post-consumer waste.

REDUCING COSTS THROUGHWASTE MANAGEMENT: THE WOOLLEN SECTOR

This Good Practice Guide was produced by the

Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme

Prepared with assistance from:

ECOTEC Research and Consulting Ltd

This Good Practice Guide is one of a series of four Guides on solid waste management in the textilesindustry. Each of the four has been designed as a stand-alone document for the sector concerned:

■ worsteds and knitwear;

■ woollens;

■ cotton and man-made fibres;

■ garment manufacturing.

The woollens sector has high raw material costs and low profit margins. Substantial amounts ofsolid waste - wool waste, yarn cones and packaging - are generated which account for a significantproportion of operating costs. Reducing waste can therefore make a considerable differenceto a company’s profits and competitiveness.

This Guide seeks to encourage companies to minimise their waste and, where waste is unavoidable,to dispose of it in the most cost-effective way. Practical measures are suggested to help companiesin the different sectors reduce, re-use and recycle their solid waste. Various possible markets existfor wool waste, including: textile merchants and reclaimers; felt manufacture; shoddy clothing;household textiles; agricultural uses; geotextiles; and industrial applications. Card and paper wastecan also be recycled, while the market for plastics waste is growing.

Wool waste in the carding and spinning sector amounts to 7 - 14% of wool consumption, and inthe weaving and finishing sector to 5 - 9%. Wool waste in the knitwear sector ranges from 5 - 20%, the latter being typical of the cut and sew area. Wool waste arising in the felting sectorvaries from almost zero for companies producing cheap felts from reclaimed materials to over 20%of wool consumption for those producing quality felts.

Most companies in the woollen textiles industry also generate large quantities of cardboard andplastic yarn cones, plastic bags and cardboard cartons. The landfill tax has increased the cost ofwaste disposal to landfill for all textile companies, while new regulations on packaging waste havegiven added impetus to the need to develop recovery and recycling schemes for packaging waste.

Industry Examples throughout this Guide highlight the cost savings and other benefits achieved bytextile companies that have already adopted a structured waste management approach with anemphasis on waste minimisation, re-use and recycling.

S U M M A R Y

Section Page

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Cost savings from waste minimisation 2

1.2 The cost of waste in the woollen textiles industry 3

1.3 The purpose of this Good Practice Guide 5

2 Waste management opportunities in blending, carding and spinning 7

2.1 Waste prevention 7

2.2 Waste re-use, recycling and sale 8

3 Waste management opportunities in weaving and finishing 11

3.1 Waste prevention 11

3.2 Waste re-use, recycling, disposal and sale 13

4 Waste management opportunities in knitting 15

4.1 Waste prevention 15

4.2 Waste re-use, recycling and sale 16

5 Waste management opportunities in felting and garment production 18

5.1 Waste prevention 18

5.2 Waste re-use, recycling and sale 18

6 Markets for solid waste 19

6.1 Wool waste 19

6.2 Card and paper waste 20

6.3 Plastics waste 21

6.4 Wood waste 21

6.5 Markets within company groupings 21

7 Conclusions and action plan 22

Appendix Useful contacts 25

C O N T E N T S

Waste costs money. Each year, waste can cost the average UK manufacturing company 4% ofturnover. Reducing the amount of waste your company produces will increase profits and help youto remain competitive. Most companies can achieve savings of at least 1% of turnover throughwaste minimisation.

Even efficient companies produce waste. Waste is not just discarded solid materials. It also includeswasted time, loss of materials to air and to drain, excessive use of energy and water, and productgiveaway through overfilling packages and containers.

One company involved in a waste minimisation initiative had originally estimated its annual wastecosts at something over £70 000, although no single person or department could quantify theprecise value or volume of the waste streams. A waste survey showed the true figure to be muchlarger and possible savings of £1.4 million were initially identified. Waste levels in the textile industrymay not be on this scale. However, very significant savings can be made.

Waste minimisation is a systematic approach to minimising the production of waste at source. Acompany can always reduce the amount of waste it produces. Alternatively, there may be ways toput waste to good use through re-use or recycling. Finally, a company may have to consider treatingits waste to make it less harmful to people and the environment. Fig 1 summarises this ‘wastemanagement hierarchy’.

Fig 1 Waste management hierarchy

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I N T R O D U C T I O N1

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1

BEST PRACTICE

Minimise

Re-use

Recycle in-house

Recycle off-site

Treat

Sound waste management practices have many advantages for companies in the woollen textilesindustry, including:

■ Lower operating costs due to:

- reduced wool consumption, ie increased yield;

- reduced consumption of other raw materials, eg packaging;

- reduced waste disposal costs.

■ Increased revenue from unavoidable waste.

■ Improved site efficiency.

■ Improved product quality.

■ Enhanced public image. This will make your company more attractive to customers andinvestors and help it retain its place on approved suppliers’ lists.

1.1 COST SAVINGS FROM WASTE MINIMISATION

There are many no-cost and low-cost measures that your company could implement to manage itswaste more efficiently and to reduce the amount of waste it generates. Recent waste minimisationinitiatives in the UK, eg the Aire and Calder Project and the Leicestershire Waste MinimisationInitiative, have demonstrated that waste minimisation makes companies more efficient, moreprofitable and more environmentally friendly.

Profit margins in the woollen textiles industry are low - generally less than 5% of turnover. Wasteminimisation can therefore have a significant impact. Reducing waste - even by a small percentage- can make a considerable difference to a company’s ‘bottom line’.

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1

Benefiting from systematic waste minimisation

An independent weaver in East Lancashire has begun monitoring its various waste streams andsystematically eliminating or reducing them.

As part of its waste minimisation programme, the company has prepared an action plan andproduced graphs showing the amount of waste generated each month as a percentage ofproduction throughput, ie the number of pieces produced.

This approach, as part of a wider environmental and quality management system, has enabledthe company to reduce its waste to less than 3%. The company is committed to reducingwaste even further through a programme of continuous improvement.

Waste reduction increases profits

Assume that a textiles company with a £4 million turnover makes £200 000 profit each year,ie 5%. Waste costs the company around £120 000, or about 3% of turnover, as a result ofunnecessary material costs (reduced yield) and disposal costs. Reducing these costs by only10% will increase profit by £12 000, or 6%. In many companies it will be possible to reducewaste by 25% or more, adding at least 15% to the bottom line.

1.2 THE COST OF WASTE IN THE WOOLLEN TEXTILES INDUSTRY

1.2.1 Wool waste

Waste is purchased raw material that is subsequently not sold as product. This is particularlysignificant for companies in the woollen industry where raw materials costs are high; wool typicallycosts at least £3.50/kg and yarns at least £7/kg. These costs generally represent a high proportionof operating costs, while profit margins are often less than 5% of turnover. Although the industryhas traditionally been regarded as ‘thrifty’, levels of wool waste in all sectors are still significant.

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Reducing finishing waste produces substantial savings

A small weaving/finishing company in West Yorkshire produces 500 pieces of woollen cloth perweek, each worth £600 or £10/metre. Until recently, the company left 330 mm of rough,unusable material at the end of each piece to allow a semi-continuous finishing process thatincludes raising/cropping. The extra length was cut off at the end of the process to give afinished 60 metre piece as required by the customer. The company was therefore losing about0.55% from each piece. This waste was costing £1 650/week or £79 000/year (excluding thesmall income from waste sales).

Some 100 mm of this 330 mm length was in the overhang beyond the seam joining adjacentpieces and the remainder in the area of rough material containing the label which had toremain intact throughout the finishing process. The label itself was 50 mm wide.

The company was able to halve the waste to 150 mm by:

■ resetting the magic eye on the raising/cropping machine to give the minimum marginas the stitched join approaches the cutter blade;

■ reducing the width of the label to 25 mm to fit into this smaller area of rough fabric.

Finishing waste now amounts to 0.25%, costing the company £750/week or £36 000/year. Asaving of £43 000/year has been achieved for no cost.

In some cases, pieces can be joined using special sewing machines. This virtually eliminatesthe seam overhang and reduces the waste still further to about 60 mm. Introduction of newbar codes capable of surviving the finishing process would allow the effective label width tobe reduced to 6 mm or less and thus produce further savings.

A realistic waste of only 20 mm/piece would produce savings of around £75 000/year.

1.2.2 Packaging and other solid waste

Most companies in the woollen textiles industry also dispose of large quantities of cardboard andplastic yarn cones, plastic bags and cardboard cartons - often without recovering any revenue andsometimes at a significant cost.

Introduction of the landfill tax in October 1996 significantly increased solid waste disposal costs forall textile companies, while the UK Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste)Regulations 1997 have implications for many companies.

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Using a compactor reduces disposal costs

A small Midlands company currently disposes of five full skip loads a week of general waste ata cost of £300/week or around £15 000/year. A compactor, costing £12 000, would reducethe number of waste collections required to one a week. Although the disposal charge wouldincrease to £120/load due to the increased weight, the company would save around£9 000/year with a payback of around 16 months.

Wool waste in the woollen textiles industry

Carding and spinning sector Waste = 7 - 14% by weight of wool consumption.

A carder/spinner using 500 tonnes of wool/year produces 35 - 70 tonnes of wool waste. Forwool costing £3.50/kg, this level of waste is therefore worth £122 500 - £245 000/year. Salesof this waste may amount to only £10 000/year.

Weaving sector Waste = 5 - 9% by weight of wool consumption.

A mill processing 500 tonnes of wool/year produces 25 - 45 tonnes of wool waste. At a typicalyarn price of £7/kg, this is equivalent to £175 000 - £315 000/year. Waste sales may amountto £7 000/year.

Knitwear sector Waste = 5 - 8% by weight of wool consumption in the fullyfashioned and shaped knitwear area and around20% in the cut and sew area.

A company processing 200 tonnes of yarn/year for the manufacture of cut and sew knitwearproduces around 40 tonnes/year of wool waste. At £7/kg of yarn, this represents a loss of£280 000/year. Waste sales may generate revenues of around £10 000/year.

Felting sector

Waste quantities in this sector vary enormously. Companies producing cheap felts from reclaimedmaterials can re-use almost all ‘waste’ in the process. Those producing quality felts, eg snookercloths and heavy technical felts, can generate waste levels of over 20% of wool consumption.

For advice and information about current regulations governing the disposal of solid andother wastes, contact the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

1.3 THE PURPOSE OF THIS GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE

This Good Practice Guide provides a framework to help companies in the woollen textiles industryimprove their environmental performance and become more profitable through a systematicapproach to solid waste management. A range of practical no-cost and low-cost measures - withan emphasis on waste minimisation - are suggested for the spinning, weaving, knitting and feltingsectors. Possible markets for waste materials from the woollen textiles industry are also discussed.

Generic measures applicable to all sectors of the industry are summarised in a separate leaflet whichaccompanies this Guide, (ET80) Waste Minimisation – Elements for Success. The leaflet is alsoavailable free of charge through the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

The Industry Examples described in this Guide highlight the considerable cost savings and otherbenefits that have been achieved by textile companies implementing a systematic approach to wasteminimisation.

The practical measures described in this Guide will be useful to companies of all sizes in the woollenssector and to those seeking to reduce their waste within the framework of an environmentalmanagement system (EMS) such as ISO 14001 or the EC Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

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Switching from skips to front end loaders

A weaver in the North of England used to have five skips of general waste removed each weekat a cost of £55/lift, ie £13 200/year. The waste management contractor suggested that thecompany should switch to front end loaders (FELs), which are approximately the same size andsupplied free of charge. Through more careful filling of the FELs, the company now needs onlyfour FELs, which are emptied each week at a cost of £12 each (plus the landfill tax); a totalcost of £2 300/year. This simple change has saved the company almost £11 000/year.

UK Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations

These Regulations apply to companies that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year andhave a turnover greater than £5 million/year (this threshold will reduce to £1 million/year in 2000). Companies are required to take responsibility for the recovery and recycling of their‘obligation’ amount for particular materials. The calculation of the obligation is complex and isa function of:

■ the amount of obligated packaging handled;

■ the activity obligation (raw material manufacturer 6%, converter 11%, packer/filler 36%,seller/final retailer 47%);

■ the UK recovery/recycling targets (recovery: 40% by 1998 and 50% by 2001; recycling (bymaterial): 8% by 1998 and 15% by 2001).

Many companies have some sort of obligation under more than one of the activity categories.A garment manufacturer, for example, would normally have responsibility for the packagingused to pack its product at the 36% and 47% obligation; the latter is where packaging is usedfor transit and has no further use (it is effectively ‘sold’ to the customer).

Companies can register individually with the Environment Agency or pass on their obligations toa collective scheme (eg VALPAK). In all cases, however, companies are required to collect databy weight.

This Guide is one of a series of four stand-alone Good Practice Guides on solid waste managementin the textiles industry. The four Guides, which are all available free of charge through theEnvironmental Helpline on 0800 585794, cover:

■ worsteds and knitwear;

■ woollens;

■ cotton and man-made fibres;

■ garment manufacturing.

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1Make good practice your standard practice

Most wool waste from blending, carding and spinning operations consists of condenser, slubbingand fettling wastes. These typically amount to 7 - 14% by weight of wool consumption and havealready been eliminated or minimised by some spinners through measures such as those describedin the following sections.

2.1 WASTE PREVENTION

2.1.1 Machinery

■ Consider installing pneumatic systems to move fibre during blending/carding/roving.Enclosure of ducting and other equipment minimises the loss of fibre compared with manualsystems such as drums.

■ Fit opening/blending and carding/combing machinery with undergrids and extractionsystems.

■ Ensure that carding machines, etc are covered and fitted with an extraction system tominimise fettling waste and dust in the factory. This will allow the fettlings to be collectedfor sale rather than becoming part of the dirty sweepings.

■ Use carding machines which:

- have a ‘waste end return unit’, ie a pneumatic system that returns fibre waste to the feedhopper;

- monitor the thickness of the slubbing produced during carding (such monitoring devicesallow the carding engine to be stopped if the slubbing goes out-of-tolerance).

■ Consider using dual-feed, cross-carding machines or a cross feed from one machine to thenext to provide high quality and even slubbing.

■ Consider fitting stop-motion and re-splicing devices when buying new spinning frames andwinding machines or when retrofitting equipment. Such devices can significantly reduce yarnwaste.

■ Fit spinning and winding frames with vacuum (pneumafil) extraction units that removebroken thread to a clean container.

■ Ensure humidity and temperature control equipment is properly maintained. Less-than-optimum conditions will result in more breakages in the thread, lower productivity, lowerproduct quality and more waste.

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Staff incentive scheme

One spinning company has set up an incentive scheme for machine operators as part of acontinuous improvement and waste minimisation programme. The size of the bonus is linkedto the amount of waste produced, ie the quicker the operator notices breakages andreconnects the yarn, the bigger the bonus they receive.

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIESIN BLENDING, CARDING AND SPINNING

2

BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

2.1.2 Other measures

■ Remind staff handling wool/yarn of the need to keep it clean and thus avoid contamination.

■ Keep wool/yarn covered whenever possible to avoid contamination.

■ Keep different wools/yarns segregated and labelled in separate areas of the warehouse. Thisavoids mix-ups and potential waste.

■ Monitor waste according to the type and quality of wool used. This will allow you to buildup a picture of the levels of waste that can be expected in each case; in general, the higherquality the wool, the fewer the breakages and the lower the waste levels. You may find thatwool from a certain supplier results in less waste than the same grade of wool from a differentsupplier. In some cases it may be worth paying a little more for the wool to reduce waste.

■ Plan production to minimise waste from carding and blending. For example, make surebatches of like or similar colours follow on, eg black follows black. This reduces waste byeliminating the need for a stabilisation phase where wool of the new colour is fed throughthe machine to pick up fibres of the previous colour and prevent colour fibre contaminationof the next batch.

■ If you undertake dyeing, plan carefully to avoid dye cross-contamination. For example, followan orange batch with a red batch rather than a white batch. It also makes sense to dye asmall quantity of wool initially to check that the dye colour is accurate before committinglarge quantities that could be wasted (see Good Practice Guide (GG62) Water and ChemicalUse in the Textile Dyeing and Finishing Industry).

■ Encourage your wool supplier to use high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rather thanpolypropylene (PP) bags. HDPE bags are less likely to split (causing contamination) and areeasily recycled.

■ Where possible, supply yarn in carefully sealed cartons. This avoids the need to wrap yarncones in individual plastic bags, saving you and your customers effort and money.

■ Check that you are not throwing away containers that still contain wool/yarn, cones, card, etcthat could be segregated for re-use or recycling.

2.2 WASTE RE-USE, RECYCLING AND SALE

2.2.1 Wool waste

■ Sort wastes as much as possible according to value. For example, separate out:

- ‘soft’ unprocessed waste from ‘hard’ processed waste;

- undyed from dyed yarns;

- wools and wool-rich blends from cottons and man-made fibres.

In each case, the former is considerably more valuable than the latter.

■ Put any waste from the initial blending process, eg droppings, straight back into the blend. Ifthis is not possible, segregate and store the waste until it can be put back into a suitableblend.

■ Segregate valuable soft condenser waste by quality and store each lot in covered containers forappropriate re-use. Keep a record of waste stocks by allocating each a lot number. If storagespace is at a premium, only store the highest value wools and those colours in regular demand.

■ During carding, cut any poor quality slubbings from the collection roller and put them backinto the carding hopper. This is easier where the roller is steel.

■ If the carding engine cannot cope with the quantities of tightly rolled slubbing waste,condenser waste and yarn waste produced, consider purchasing or leasing an opening/pulling machine to allow their re-use.

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2

BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

■ Consider sending ‘harder’ wastes to be processed by a wool reclaimer for putting back intothe blend. Some companies can recover over 60% of their carding waste in this way, givinggood quality wool with a low proportion of vegetable matter, eg 3%.

■ If you have dyeing facilities on site, operate a system of dyeing on the cone, eg in a pressuredyeing system, rather than in hanks. Dyeing in hanks means that yarns are far more likely toknot, thereby producing lengths of yarn that cannot be wound.

■ Sell your wool waste (see Section 6). Several spinners have found good markets even forshort fibre wastes such as fettlings. Extraction fan filter wastes are sold to a variety of end-users, eg toy manufacturers for use as wadding, farmers for use as manure and undertakersfor use in coffin linings.

■ If you have a dye house on site, mixed-colour wool waste can be dyed black for re-use orresale.

2.2.2 Yarn cones

■ Minimise the types of yarn cone in use wherever possible. This will facilitate cone re-use andreduce costs for all concerned. It is far easier for a weaver or knitter to deal with largequantities of one type of cone than small quantities of many different types. Discuss the issuewith your customers to establish the best practicable solution.

■ Where possible, use multi-trip plastic cones that withstand dyeing pressures. These robustcones can tolerate many trips if they are returned to the spinner by the customer. The use ofnon-collapsible cones can also eliminate the need to rewind yarn after dyeing. This eliminatesa process, thus contributing further to cost cutting.

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Cost-effective reclamation of carding waste

A spinner/weaver in West Yorkshire produces 8 000 kg/year of carding waste, which is sold for£5 000. However, the raw wool is worth £4.50/kg. This means that the carding waste coststhe company £36 000/year in additional wool purchases, a net loss of £31 000.

A soft waste opener, which would allow the condenser waste to be recycled, would cost£11 000. Such a machine would use 7 kW of electricity to treat 200 kg/hour. Operating themachine for less than an hour a week would cost £400/year in labour costs and £12/year inenergy costs (assuming 350 kWh x £0.035/kWh).

Such a machine would provide savings of £30 500/year with a payback period of less thanfive months.

Use of multi-trip yarn cones

One spinner reduced plastic yarn cone waste by maximising the use of re-usable cones. Ruggedcones, which can tolerate a minimum of eight round trips via the dyer and weaver/knitter, areused wherever possible. Although such cones cost 10 - 12 pence each, the cost per trip is only1 penny (for an average life of 10 - 12 trips). This represents a considerable saving over one-trip plastic cones which currently cost approximately 3 - 4 pence each.

Although many spinners build the cost of the cone into the price of the yarn, some companieshave introduced a deposit-return system which explicitly identifies the cost of the cone. Manyweavers and knitters appreciate both the lower cost of the yarn and the opportunity to returnthe cones.

BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

■ Consider the possibility of a deposit-return system to encourage the return of valuable cones.Talk to your customers about this.

■ Consider initiating a low-charge, deposit-return scheme for cardboard cones. Cardboardcones are more hardy than is commonly believed and can, potentially, tolerate two or threetrips.

■ Lobby your trade association and equipment suppliers (see Appendix for contact details).Encourage them to set an industry standard for cones and cone labelling that will facilitatecone re-use. A pre-printed, detachable label or waterproof sticker is preferable to a self-coloured cone as this does not limit its use to only one type of yarn.

■ Use true cone-shaped (as opposed to cylindrical) yarn cones. These fit neatly inside oneanother, thus allowing high overall packing density and reducing cone-return transport costs.

■ Segregate plastic and cardboard yarn cones. If all else fails, sell them to material recyclers.

■ Co-ordinate cone collections in your area wherever possible to maximise transport efficiency.This may be possible through a local waste minimisation club.

■ Mark skips clearly to avoid contamination, eg plastic cones being put in with the cardboardwaste.

2.2.3 Packaging waste (hessian and plastic bags)

■ Return bags to your supplier, if possible. If not, re-use bags around the site to collectcontaminated/dirty wastes.

■ Return boxes, crates and pallets to your supplier, if possible. If not, re-use these on site tosegregate wastes.

■ Seek out merchants that deal in more unusual wastes such as hessian bags.

■ Establish separate storage areas or containers for the collection of plastic wastes such asworn-out yarn cones, spindles and plastic bags. You may be surprised how quickly thesebuild up into saleable quantities.

■ Minimise the number of different types of plastic bag on site to facilitate recycling.

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BLENDING

CARDING

AND

SPINNING

For most weavers, wool waste is typically 5 - 9% by weight of wool consumption. As in the spinningsector, some companies have already reduced waste arisings to much lower levels and obtainedsignificant revenue from the remaining wastes.

3.1 WASTE PREVENTION

3.1.1 Machinery

■ Consider buying a yarn length measuring machine. This will enable you to get just the correctlength of yarn on each spindle/cone on the creel. A small amount of yarn left on each conecan add up to a significant quantity over the whole of a creel. This approach can practicallyeliminate creel cone waste.

■ Ensure that your creel is fitted with tensioners and stop-motions that work effectively. Thiswill reduce the number of breakages and hence waste.

■ Consider purchasing a modern warping machine. Newer machines can eliminate crossedends, producing perfect warps with less waste. Some of the latest warping machines canalso eliminate the need for a creel.

■ If you regularly make long runs of a particular cloth, consider making longer pieces usinglonger warps. This practice produces less warping waste, ie beam ends and creel waste. Forexample, 600 metre pieces and warps generate only 10% of the waste from ten, 60 metrepieces.

■ Always purchase looms with stop-motion devices, ie drop-pins and magic-eyes, fitted to boththe warp threads and the weft threads. Consider retrofitting stop motions to existing looms.

■ When considering the purchase of new looms, take into account the amount of waste a loomgenerates. For example, projectile looms generally produce less waste than rapiers and air-jets. While older rapier looms produce a wide, 50 mm selvedge on each side (100 mm totaland an inherent waste of around 7%), the latest rapier looms produce only 40 mm ofselvedge waste in total - a 60% reduction. Looms that produce a neat tuck-in selvedge willhelp reduce weaving wastes. However, you should remember that a tuck-in selvedgegenerally ends its life as waste in the garment manufacturing industry where it is regarded asan unusable part of the fabric.

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State-of-the-art warping machines

One Scottish company recently reduced its measured length and warping waste by purchasinga state-of-the-art pattern warping machine. The fabric design is entered into a computerwhich tells the machine which thread to pick up from which cone as it ‘builds’ the warpsection. The machine can use full cones of yarn, thus eliminating the need for pre-windingonto a creel. Although the machine cost £130 000, it has resulted in a 2% reduction in yarnconsumption.

An added benefit of the new machine is that patterns can be changed quickly, allowing smallfabric orders to be woven - a good way of using up small amounts of yarn.

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIESIN WEAVING AND FINISHING

3

WEAVING

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FINISHING

■ Adjust loom settings to minimise selvedge waste. For example, the timing of the cut (on theweft feed side) and the release (on the opposite side) on a rapier loom can be adjusted tominimise the width of the selvedge. In addition, the number of warp threads in the selvedgecan often be reduced, from say 15 threads each side to 10. You should consult your loomsupplier before making such alterations.

■ Fit your looms with weft accumulators. These mechatronic devices ensure an even weft feedtension, thus minimising the number of thread breakages and improving the quality of theproduct. Because they eliminate weft tension variations, accumulators also permit most typesof cone to be used on the weft feed.

■ If you have a problem with cone/machine compatibility, talk to your equipment suppliersabout the possibility of fitting adapter kits for specific cone types or to allow a wider varietyof cones. Most modern looms - particularly those fitted with accumulators - canaccommodate almost any type of cone without affecting product quality.

■ If possible, buy machines with electronic control systems. Such machines are generally moreefficient, allowing optimum weaving and increased productivity.

■ Keep up with machine developments via trade journals and equipment suppliers. Forexample, there are new looms (rapier and air-jet) under development that, in conjunction withthe long-established, stop-motion mechanism, allow the automatic rethreading of brokenyarn and machine restart. This reduces machine downtime and minimises fabric defects andfaults.

■ Give careful consideration to the savings potential of various loom attachments. While thesecan add considerably to the cost of new looms, the payback is often shorter than you mightimagine.

3.1.2 Other measures

■ Remind those people handling yarn of the need to keep it clean and thus avoidcontamination.

■ Keep yarn covered whenever possible to avoid contamination.

■ Keep different yarns segregated and labelled in separate areas of the warehouse. This avoidsyarn mix-ups and potential waste.

■ Talk to your supplier about minimising the amount of packaging used for the delivery of yarn,etc. In most cases, it is acceptable for yarn to be delivered in sealed cardboard cartonswithout individual plastic wrappings.

■ Use a light box to ‘perch’ (check) material as soon as it comes off the loom. Correct any faultson the loom immediately to avoid a recurrence in subsequent pieces.

■ Consider using portable equipment for material testing, eg for colour accuracy. This avoidsthe need to take samples from the production piece for laboratory testing. Care should betaken to ensure readings are valid as certain instruments can be sensitive to temperature andhumidity changes.

■ Take care when marking pieces of material with order/batch numbers. Keep the area used assmall as possible.

■ Manufacture only the length of material ordered by the customer. Avoid the temptation toover-produce to ‘be on the safe side’. Proper planning and control should allow you to reducethe safety margin to almost nothing. Unless you have a specific outlet, eg a factory shop,over-production is merely throwing away profits.

■ Avoid unnecessary over-production by identifying the exact level of shrinkage which occursduring the finishing of the fabrics you produce. This will enable you to tailor production toexact ordered length.

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3

WEAVING

AND

FINISHING

■ When finishing blankets with ribbon edges, only allocate the necessary quantity of ribbonand thread to each machinist. This will help to ensure that materials are not used wastefully.

■ Use the minimum of materials to package your final product. Over-packaging can introducea range of direct and indirect costs.

■ Check that you are not throwing away containers that still contain wool/yarn, cones, card,etc that could be segregated for re-use or recycling.

3.2 WASTE RE-USE, RECYCLING, DISPOSAL AND SALE

3.2.1 Wool waste

■ Where economically feasible, mend all material faults.

■ Sort wastes as much as possible according to value (see Section 2.2.1).

■ Consider purchasing or hiring a winding machine. Such machines allow cone-ends to berewound onto a new cone to produce a large usable cone. A single-end winding machinemay be more suited to smaller production sites.

■ Consider the option of weaving lower quality fabrics with mixed remnants of yarn and thenoverdyeing the resulting fabric.

■ Consider using waste yarns in the selvedge warp yarns. This can considerably reduceselvedge waste costs.

■ Where waste quantities are small, provide separate storage containers within easy reach ofseveral looms to allow simple segregation of wool types, colours, etc at source.

■ When producing a wide product range and with production runs repeated at intervals, storeall excess yarn for re-use in the next production run.

■ Develop relationships with customers, such as market traders and wholesalers willing topurchase seconds, thirds and production overruns. Consider the possibility of opening afactory shop to sell garment/blanket seconds to the general public.

■ Look for the most profitable option for disposing of surplus wool. In some cases, single conesor part-cones can be sold through retail wool shops at a price approaching their originalvalue.

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3

Efficient packaging of pieces

A small spinner/weaver in Lancashire used to wrap cloth pieces individually and then pack themtogether in a polypropylene bale. Pieces are now wrapped individually in polythene.

The benefits of this change include:

■ no further need to purchase polypropylene;

■ less packaging waste;

■ pieces can be carried by hand instead of needing a crane to move the bales;

■ no need to sew bales, thus saving labour costs and bale hooks;

■ containers and aircraft holds can be packed more efficiently, thus reducing transportcosts and lowering the export price.

The reductions in waste have produced annual savings of several hundred pounds, whilethe lower labour costs and improved export competitiveness have increased profitssignificantly. W

EAVING

AND

FINISHING

3.2.2 Cone waste

■ Encourage your yarn supplier to deliver yarn on re-usable plastic dye cones whenever possible.

■ Talk to your supplier about the possibility of deposit-return schemes for cones. Evencardboard cones should be returned to the spinner/dyer where practicable, since they can beused for rewinding after dyeing.

■ Where returning to the supplier is not practicable, re-use cones on site or within thecompany/group. Vertically integrated companies or those who are part of a verticallyintegrated group, should pass cones back to the spinners or dyers for re-use.

■ When you need to purchase additional cones (eg to allow the splitting of full cones onto part-cones/spindles for the creel), buy used cones wherever possible to encourage recycling withinthe industry.

■ Where cones cannot be returned or re-used, sell them to plastic and cardboard recyclers.There may be a company in your area that can use cones and is willing to remove them fromyour site free of charge.

■ Mark skips clearly to avoid contamination, eg plastic cones being put in with the cardboardwaste.

3.2.3 Packaging waste

■ Check with your yarn supplier about the possibility of receiving goods on returnable palletsand containers. This is already standard practice in some companies.

■ Segregate carton and other cardboard waste to maximise its value and reduce disposal costs.

■ Establish separate storage areas or containers for the collection of plastic wastes such as wornout yarn cones, spindles and plastic bags. You may be surprised how quickly these build upinto saleable quantities.

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Revenue from the sale of plastic cones

One small commission weaver in West Yorkshire produces 84 kg of plastic cone waste eachweek, for which it receives 14 pence/kg from a plastics recycler in Bradford. While this seemsa small amount, the annual saving is typically £540.

Cardboard separation and sale

Until recently, cardboard packaging at a mill in the Bradford area cost £4 140/year in disposalcosts. Sorting allowed the number of normal waste skip lifts to be halved, saving around£2 000/year. While revenue from the cardboard itself only amounts to around £100/year, thetotal benefit of £2 100/year makes a worthwhile contribution to the bottom line.

WEAVING

AND

FINISHING

The manufacturing processes used in the knitting sector inherently produce significant quantities ofwaste. Waste ranges from 5 - 8% by weight of wool consumption in the fully fashioned and shapedknitwear area and 20% or more in the cut and sew area.

4.1 WASTE PREVENTION

4.1.1 Machinery

■ Keep track of the latest machinery developments by reading trade journals and keeping inregular contact with equipment manufacturers (see Appendix). The latest generation of ‘V bed’or ‘flat’ knitting machines, for example, can produce fully shaped knitwear as fast as oldermachinery can produce rectangular panels. Newer machines are fitted with the latestmechatronic yarn feeds. These allow more even yarn tension, cause fewer breakages andproduce better quality garments with fewer reject panels. The latest electronically controlledmachines can also directly link the designer sitting at a remote personal computer with theknitting machine, reducing the need for manual intervention and allowing far greater flexibility.

■ When considering buying new equipment, always enquire about the associated waste ratesand take this into account in your decision.

■ Make sure new machines have the appropriate stop-motions built in, ie the knitting machinestops when a thread breaks. Devices that allow knots in the wool to be detected are alsoavailable. Consider retrofitting stop-motions and any other waste saving devices to oldermachines.

■ Take particular care when setting up knitting machinery at the start of a garment batch run.This will save both time and materials in the longer term.

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The benefits of advanced knitting machines

One of the larger knitting companies in the Midlands has replaced some of its older 1980sknitting machines with new machines that are capable of producing separate (rather than joined)and shaped pieces. Although the cost was high (£80 000/machine less the value recovered fromsale of the old machines), the benefits of such machines are numerous. They include:

■ an improved product with better shape;

■ reduced labour costs in garment preparation, with no need for removal of the panelchain stitch, cutting the panel, pressing the panel and over-stitching;

■ reduced yarn/panel waste.

Material waste has been reduced from 24% (including knitting and cutting wastes) to around5%. Given an annual use of around 200 tonnes of yarn, this amounts to a saving ofapproximately 38 tonnes/year. With lambswool costing around £11/kg, and panel waste beingusually worth less than £1/kg, the wool saving alone represents around £380 000/year.The payback period is expected to be less than three years.

The company is also benefiting because it can now produce a better product more cheaplythan before when a high waste level had to be allowed for in the product price. This allowsthe company to be more competitive in a difficult market.

W A S T E M A N A G E M E N TO P P O R T U N I T I E S I N K N I T T I N G

4

KNITTING

4.1.2 Other measures

■ Remind those people handling wool/yarn of the need to keep it clean and thus avoidcontamination.

■ Consider switching more of your knitwear to shaped production rather than cut and sew.The latest flat knitting machinery, as described above, will give you the benefit of fullyfashioned knitwear at a considerably lower cost.

■ Always take careful note of customer size specifications when knitting panels. This willminimise the amount of waste produced when panels are cut to shape.

■ At the start of a new batch, make test garments out of cheaper yarn or yarn colours left instore.

■ When knitting continuous panels (eg for blankets), minimise start-up waste by knitting themaximum length of panel possible. Monitor panel length carefully to maximise the numberof complete product items that can be cut from the panel.

■ Consider cutting blanket panels to size manually. Some companies have found that fewerfaults (eg ladders which can run the full length of a panel) occur using manual cutting.

■ When mistakes occur during sizing, ‘size down’ or ‘size up’ the batch of garments whereverpossible. Garments can often be sized down from ‘medium’ to ‘small’ and still be acceptablewithin the terms of the customer specification and tolerances.

■ Talk to your yarn supplier about minimising the level of packaging used for delivery. Consideraccepting deliveries of yarn that is unwrapped, but packed in sealed cartons. If a carton iswell sealed with tape, the risk of contamination is extremely small.

■ When finishing blankets with ribbon edges, only allocate the necessary quantity of ribbonand thread to each machinist. This will help to ensure that materials are not used wastefully.

■ Use the minimum of materials to package your final product. Over-packaging can introducea range of direct and indirect costs.

■ Check that you are not throwing away containers that still contain yarn, card, etc that couldbe segregated for re-use or recycling.

4.2 WASTE RE-USE, RECYCLING AND SALE

4.2.1 Wool waste

■ Companies/groups that manufacture a variety of garments should use surplus yarn, eg fromthe knitting of sweaters, for the knitting of socks, gloves and other small items. If yourcompany or group does not manufacture small garments itself, make contact with companiesin your area that do.

■ Wherever possible limit your product range. Fewer and longer production runs allow greateryarn re-use potential. All surplus yarn can be used in subsequent production runs. This isparticularly applicable to blanket manufacture where long production runs using the sameyarn are standard.

■ Wherever possible, use small amounts of yarn in the subsequent manufacture of patternedknitwear.

■ When knitting unpatterned knitwear, use undyed yarns wherever possible. The completedgarments can then be dyed to customer’s colour requirements. This makes yarn re-useconsiderably easier and significantly reduces waste.

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4

KNITTING

■ Consider purchasing an unroving machine to rewind valuable yarns onto cones for reknitting- some winding machines remove knots and splice the yarn to give a higher quality recoveredyarn.

■ Mend panels and garments where this is an economic option.

■ Sort all knitted waste by panel size and material to maximise revenue from their sale.

■ Sell larger damaged panels to children’s knitwear manufacturers. This will bring in greaterrevenue than selling them to waste merchants.

■ Develop relationships with customers, such as market traders and wholesalers willing topurchase seconds, thirds and production overruns. Consider the possibility of opening afactory shop to sell garment/blanket seconds to the general public.

■ Look for the most profitable option for disposing of surplus wool. In some cases, single conesor part-cones can be sold through retail wool shops at a price approaching their originalvalue.

■ Re-use materials internally wherever possible, eg use damaged cotton panel sections formachine cleaning.

4.2.2 Other waste

■ Re-use large plastic bags internally wherever possible, eg use large polythene bags fortransporting garments around the shop floor.

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The efficient use of undyed yarns and cone ends in the knitwear sector

Several companies use undyed yarns at every opportunity to facilitate yarn re-use. When self-coloured garments are produced, they are knitted in white yarn and then dyed as wholegarments. This means that most yarns can be re-used in subsequent batches. Where oddcones of coloured yarn remain from the knitting of patterned garments, these are kept for useas minor colours in future patterns or used to knit samples or for collars and cuffs. As aconsequence, yarns are very rarely sold on as waste.

The cost of mis-using valuable panel waste

One knitter in the Midlands uses about 240 damaged wool panels (around 50 kg) each weekto mop up oil leaking from old knitting machines. These panels are, however, worthapproximately £1/kg when sold on.

Equivalent cotton rags from a merchant would cost only 20 pence/kg. This would save thecompany £40/week or £2 000/year. If drip trays were used, the saving would be£2 400/year. There might also be an additional saving from re-using or selling the waste oilcollected in the drip tray.

KNITTING

Waste quantities in this sector vary enormously. Companies producing felts from reclaimedmaterials can re-use virtually all waste in the process. Waste levels are often less than 1%, if youignore garments rejected at the sorting stage. For companies manufacturing quality and specialityfelts (eg uniform cloth, heavy technical felts, etc), waste quantities can be high - over 20% includingcarding and trimming waste. Measures can, however, be taken to reduce waste.

5.1 WASTE PREVENTION

■ If you use waste material and rejected garments, buy ready-sorted materials if possible. Thiswill not only increase the yield of good material, but reduce both the amount of sortingrequired and the amount of unsuitable material requiring disposal.

■ Wherever possible, sort garments (ie remove unusable garments/parts of garments) at thesame time as loading the pulling machine. This avoids a separate operation.

■ Purchase high-quality, cross-carding machines which provide a high quality and even slubbingfor each layer of the felt (applicable to those making high-quality felts).

■ Avoid operations that involve hanging felts using hooks or clips. This avoids trimming wasteat a later stage. In some cases, thick felts can be conditioned or dried standing in a rack.

■ Check that you are not throwing away containers that still contain useful materials that couldbe segregated for re-use or recycling.

5.2 WASTE RE-USE, RECYCLING AND SALE

■ Put as much waste material as possible, eg edge trimmings, back into the process. If you donot already make use of waste, consider buying or leasing a pulling machine. This wouldallow you to recover hard, dense waste materials.

■ Consider selling higher quality wool waste/garments that may be too good for your productback to a merchant or spinner.

■ Use an extraction system to collect fibres and dusts at a central point. These wastes shouldthen be compressed and secured in a block with baling straps. Such blocks have theadvantages of avoiding spillages and easy storage.

■ Sort wastes as much as possible according to their value.

■ Look for appropriate markets for all dust and fibre wastes (see Section 6).

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5

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES INFELTING AND GARMENT PRODUCTION

5

FELTING

AND

GARMENT

PRODUCTION

6.1 WOOL WASTE

As with most markets, the market for wool waste varies considerably with time. While traditionalmarkets for wool waste have diminished, new markets are developing. It is, therefore, worthkeeping track of the latest developments and market prices.

The main markets for wool waste are indicated below. Most companies deal directly with a wastemerchant/reclaimer who passes on the waste and reclaimed ‘flock’ to felting companies and otherend-users. In some cases, it may be worthwhile approaching the felting and end-user companiesdirectly.

Remember, low-quality wastes such as fettling waste, extraction fan filter waste, etc stillhave a value. Even companies at the lowest end of the needle felt industry find markets for theshortest fibres and dusts.

6.1.1 Textile merchants and reclaimers

Textile shoddy merchants and reclaimers are located predominantly in Lancashire, Yorkshire and theMidlands. A selection of these companies is listed in the Appendix.

Shoddy merchants trade in waste fibres and materials, while reclaimers take shoddy fabric waste -including garments - and other hard waste such as yarn. Reclaimers ‘willow’, ‘pull’ and/or ‘garnet’this waste to produce separate fibres. These are then blended to produce flock, which can be re-used for lower quality products including certain felts and blankets. Some reclaimers produce higherquality fibre whose natural and man-made fibre content is tested and certified.

In some cases there may be an advantage in dealing mainly with one supplier. Some merchantsspecialise in certain fibres and will buy predominantly from one particular sector. Some companiesoffer six-month contracts, during which period they are obliged to collect all waste, albeit at avariable price. However, it is worth ringing round the merchants occasionally to get the best pricefor your particular type and quantity of waste. Prices vary considerably as a result of instabilities inboth UK and overseas markets. It is also in your interests to encourage your waste merchants toconsider all possible markets for their waste, including those noted below.

6.1.2 Felt manufacture

Other important users of waste, particularly garment waste, are needle felt manufacturers. Theyproduce felts for a variety of uses.

Many of these companies are keen to find new secure sources of material to supplement theirsupply of used garments and are prepared to consider the use of fibre waste, either from textilemerchants or direct from textile companies. It is, therefore, worth contacting felt manufacturersdirectly.

6.1.3 End-use markets

Shoddy clothing and uniforms

After a severe decline in the UK during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, a number of new shoddymanufacturing companies were set up to supply clothing, particularly to ethnically-orientatedmarkets. This sector has the potential to expand further and should therefore be considered as apossible market for fabric and other textile wastes.

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M A R K E T S F O R S O L I D W A S T E6

Upholstery, underlay and toys

Flocks, felts and other reclaimed textiles are still used widely as: wadding for mattresses (mainlywools); upholstery wadding and webs; and stuffing for toys.

Lower quality reclaimed fibres continue to be used in blanket manufacture; loom selvedge can beused directly in the manufacture of low-quality rugs and carpet underlay.

Agricultural and land reclamation markets

Agricultural uses have traditionally offered an important outlet for textile wastes. Short-fibre waste- including extraction fan filter waste and sweepings - is often referred to as ‘shoddy manure’. Itis currently used as fertiliser, offering valuable nutrient content and good water retentioncharacteristics. Textile wastes are also used for cattle bedding.

Seed-impregnated felt ‘reclamation blankets’ are now being employed, for example, in theinnovative Landlife derelict land reclamation scheme on Merseyside. The ‘blankets’ are laid on bareor rotavated ground to provide a firm base in which seedlings can grow. This market could develop,particularly if a derivative product can be developed for home gardeners. Production of a cheappeat substitute is another possibility for the use of textile waste in the garden, although it would beimportant to ensure that there was no risk of contaminants entering the food chain.

The presence of certain trace chemicals can limit the use of wool waste in agriculture and other landapplications. Readers are advised to contact the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794 forinformation about the current legislative position regarding the application of textile wastes to land.

Construction and landscaping

Woven and non-woven (bonded) textile meshes and webs - known as geotextiles - are now usedextensively in civil engineering and landscaping to provide soil stability, enhance plant rooting andscreen out weeds. Even loose fibres can be used in conjunction with jute/hessian/polypropylene,providing a potential route for the re-use of bale sacks and short-fibre waste. Woven and non-woven textile wastes can also be used in sound insulation and heat insulation products.

Automotive applications

Automotive applications such as upholstery, sound insulation, anti-rattle pads and mouldings forvehicles remain an important market for certain textile wastes. The use of wool by vehiclemanufacturers has, however, declined sharply over the last 20 years as more man-made fibres havebeen introduced.

Other industrial markets

A sizeable market for cloth waste exists within industry. Such waste is being used as wipes and, insome cases, in chemical spillage kits. It may be possible to sell certain wastes directly to localcompanies involved in engineering, printing, surface coating, road haulage, etc.

6.2 CARD AND PAPER WASTE

The UK has numerous card and paper waste merchants and recyclers, both large and small. Someare listed in the Appendix. However, the market for paper and cardboard waste tends to fluctuategreatly and this is reflected in the prices paid. The price can also vary considerably from companyto company, depending on factors such as volume and degree of contamination. It is worth ringinground paper/card merchants regularly to obtain the best deal.

You should also be aware that there is a separate market for cardboard cartons and boxes, whichattract a much higher price than normal card waste.

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6.3 PLASTICS WASTE

The market for plastics waste is growing, and there are now many plastics recyclers operatingthroughout the country. The price paid depends on the type of plastic, cleanliness andquality/grade. Many recyclers have recently invested in full washing equipment which should allowgreater use of contaminated plastics. In addition, there are processes that now allow dirtierfeedstocks to be used for extrusion and compression moulding. Even if you have previously beenunable to find a market for plastics waste, it is worth contacting recyclers and waste exchangecompanies in light of these new developments.

Although granulation machinery is expensive to buy or hire, it allows plastics such as waste conesto be sold direct to product manufacturers at a much higher price. However, this is only worthwhilefor larger companies and for formal/informal company groupings.

6.4 WOOD WASTE

Although good quality wooden pallets can be re-used, many pallets are designed to be single useonly. However, companies using cheap wooden pallets in the manufacture of chipboard productsmay be prepared to remove your wood, perhaps free of charge.

6.5 MARKETS WITHIN COMPANY GROUPINGS

Groups of companies, particularly those that are vertically integrated, are in an ideal position to re-use waste in other parts of the operation. This avoids the need to pay disposal costs or for wasteexchange services. Materials costs are also reduced.

The grouping need not be a commercial one. There may be scope for informal arrangementsbetween local companies, perhaps using environment business clubs and waste minimisation clubsas the link. The aim should be overall minimisation of waste across the group of companies,preferably co-ordinated from a central point.

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This Good Practice Guide describes a range of practical ideas to help you reduce waste and increaseyour company’s revenue from unavoidable waste. Many of the measures involve little or no costand are applicable to companies of all sizes. Those measures that involve some capital expendituregenerally have a payback of less than two years.

Many of these practical measures are already being implemented within the textiles industry.Examples throughout the Guide demonstrate how companies that have adopted this positiveapproach to solid waste management are achieving real bottom-line savings.

In addition to cost savings, there are other less obvious benefits from adopting a sound approach towaste management and implementing a systematic waste minimisation programme.

For large companies wishing to implement a waste minimisation programme, a detailed systematicapproach to waste reduction is discussed in a series of three complementary Good Practice Guides:

■ (GG25) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Raw Material Use;

■ (GG26) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Reducing Water Use;

■ (GG27) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Teams and Champions.

For smaller companies and growing businesses, further ideas may be found in:

■ Good Practice Guide (GG38) Cutting Costs by Reducing Waste: A Self-help Guide forGrowing Businesses;

■ Finding Hidden Profit - 200 Practical Tips for Reducing Waste (ET30);

■ Good Practice Guide (GG82) Investing to Increase Profits and Reduce Wastes.

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ACTION PLAN

The message is clear. If you want your company to stay ahead or at least keep up withthe competition then:

‘Make Good Practice YOUR Standard Practice’.

Read the accompanying leaflet (ET80) Waste Minimisation – Elements for Success,which is available free of charge through the Environmental Helpline on 0800585794.

Decide which of the general waste minimisation measures described in ET80 areappropriate to your company and begin to implement them now.

Consider the waste management measures specific to your sector (see Section 2,3, 4 or 5 of this Guide). Identify those that are appropriate and begin toimplement them now.

If waste is unavoidable, keep up to date with market changes (see Section 6) andmake sure you obtain the best possible price for your different wastes.

C O N C L U S I O N S A N D A C T I O N P L A N7

All these publications are available free of charge through the Environmental Helpline on0800 585794.

The Environmental Helpline can also:

■ arrange for you to be sent other relevant Environmental Technology Best Practice Programmepublications;

■ tell you about relevant environmental and other regulations that could affect your operations;

■ arrange for a specialist to contact your company free of charge if you employ fewer than 250people.

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24

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A list of useful contacts is given below. This listing is not exhaustive and has been compiled frominformation currently available to the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme. Thelisting of an organisation should not be regarded as an endorsement of its services or products bythe Programme. Similarly, the Programme makes no claim for the competence or otherwise of anyorganisation not listed.

Further advice may be obtained from the Environmental Helpline on 0800 585794.

Company Telephone Nature of business

Paper/card

Bargain Box Company 01484 435322 Carton merchants

Biffa 01494 521221 Paper/card and plasticsrecycling

Blackburns of Dewsbury 01924 465958 Paper and card merchants

Davidsons Waste Paper 01924 475245 Paper and card merchants

Leicester Paper Processors (Midland Waste) 0116 289 3421 Carton recycling/general waste

M&B Haulage and Waste Paper Services (Dewsbury) 01924 498199 Paper and card merchants

Plastics/cones

AB Plastics 01274 394887 Plastics recycling

Quay Plus 01535 609194 Plastics recycling

S & G Ellis 01924 260167 Polythene bag recycling

Winding Cones 01535 275125 Yarn cone recycling

Wool

Clegg Wools 01484 435222 Wool/textile merchants

J H Cockroft 01422 373311 Wool/textile merchants

A N Cooke 01924 464361 Wool/textile merchants

F Cordingley 01274 724680 Wool/textile merchants

Cullingworth Summers Ltd 01924 478177 Wool/textile merchants

Henry Day & Sons 01924 464351 Wool/textile merchants

A Dearnley 01332 873638 Wool/textile merchants

Haines Brothers 01455 845855 Wool/textile merchants

Harr & Rhodes 01274 660018 Wool/textile merchants

James Robinson Fibres 01274 689400 Wool/textile merchants

Landlife (Merseyside) 0151 728 7011 Derelict land reclamationcharity

J D Matthewman 0113 252 4271 Wool/textile merchants

I & A Peacock 01274 602316 Wool/textile merchants

Rover Cars 01203 675511 Car manufacturer

Silentnight Beds 01282 815888 Bed manufacturer

M J & G Stross 01924 465904 Wool/textile merchants

T D Whitfield 01274 613106 Wool/textile merchants

25

U S E F U L C O N TA C T SAppendix

appx

A1

Company Telephone Nature of business

Other

Allertex 01274 723783 UK agents for Dornier andBenninger textile machinery

Irojex Ltd 0116 269 7989 Suppliers of weft feeders

Stoll UK 0116 253 8296 Knitting machinery

Waste Exchange Services Ltd 01642 606055 National waste merchants

Trade associations

British Apparel and Textile Confederation 0171 636 7788

Confederation of British Wool Textiles 01274 652207

Knitting Industries Federation 0116 254 1608

Local Action for Textiles and Clothing 01484 450146

Scottish Textile Association 0141 226 3262

Textile Finishers Association 0161 832 9291

Technology development

British Textiles Technology Group 0161 445 8141

UMIST Textiles Department 0161 200 4128

26

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A1

The Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme is a joint Department of Trade and

Industry and Department of the Environment initiative. It is managed by AEA Technology plc

through ETSU and the National Environmental Technology Centre.

The Programme offers free advice and information for UK businesses and promotes

environmental practices that:

■ increase profits for UK industry and commerce;

■ reduce waste and pollution at source.

To find out more about the Programme please call the Environmental Helpline on freephone

0800 585794. As well as giving information about the Programme, the Helpline has access to

a wide range of environmental information. It offers free advice to UK businesses on technical

matters, environmental legislation, conferences and promotional seminars. For smaller

companies, a free counselling service may be offered at the discretion of the Helpline Manager.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ENVIRONMENTAL HELPLINE

0800 585794e-mail address: etbppenvhelp@aeat.co.uk

World wide web: http://www.etsu.com/ETBPP/