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Evaluation of Opportunities for Converting Indigenous UK Wastes to Wastes and Energy
AEA/ED45551/Issue 1
• Other textiles are further graded for fibre reclamation by pulling the threads of the textile and
using it to produce new clothes and blankets, and also mattresses.
Textiles have an average GCV of 16MJ/kg and the stream is therefore viable for Energy from Waste
projects. However due to the already existing market in recycling and the complexity involved in sorting
MSW it could be difficult to utilise this as a separate feedstock.
Textile waste is considered to be a high priority product within Defra’s Product Roadmap scheme due to
the high environmental and social impact - accounting for 5-10% of UK environmental impacts, partly due
to the UK’s high consumption of clothing. 138,139
Future Arisings
A simple forecast for textile waste arising can be modelled on the assumption that the proportion of textile
in C&I waste and MSW remain constant applied to the MSW and C&I waste forecasts. Such a prediction
suggests that for the UK the total textile arisings will be 1,944,000 tonnes in 2010, rising to 2,042,000
tonnes by 2020.
Conclusion
Textile wastes, estimated to be nearly 2 million tonnes from both MSW and C&I waste streams, are a
waste stream where significant environmental benefits can be delivered through simple reuse. Only
when textiles are very badly damaged or soiled does energy recovery and similar solutions become
advisable.
5.5 Paper Waste Arisings
Background
The UK consumes between 12 and 13 million tonnes of paper and board each year. 140 The main sources
of waste paper and board arisings are from households (MSW) and from the Commercial and Industrial
(C&I) waste stream. The paper/card waste arising from the Construction and Demolition (C&D) sector is
considered to be negligible (any arisings would be from packaging used for construction materials).
Municipal Solid Waste Arising
Paper and cardboard is estimated to be 21% of the total arisings of MSW. 141 Such an estimation leads to
the arisings from the MSW figures for 2007/08 in Table 43 142
138 EU Commission, Environmental Impact of Products, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ipp/pdf/eipro_report.pdf
139 Defra, 2008, Product roadmaps- Clothing, http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/products/clothing.htm
140 http://www.paper.org.uk/information/pages/statistics.html
141 The Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in Wales. Report by AEA for the Welsh Assembly Government, December 2003
142 e-Digest Statistics about: Waste and Recycling, Defra, 2008, http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/index.htm Waste Data Digest 8:
Key facts and trends. SEPA, 2008, http://www.sepa.org.uk/waste/waste_data_menu/waste_data_digest.aspx, Welsh Assembly Government, 2008;
Municipal Waste Management Report for Wales 2007-2008; Environment & Heritage Service, Municipal Waste Management Northern Ireland 2005/06
Summary Report.