Besides sustainability and environmental effects, the recycling in textile sector and reproducing textile wastes come into prominence more and more. Turkey, showing a great expansion in the field of textile and ready-to-wear sector, exhibits a growing interest in textile wastes in this process with parallel to production.
Such textile wastes as fent, ilmar (yarn wastes), mattress (embroidery used in cotton bales), waste of fiber and velveteen dust have the quality of being reproduced. These wastes are classified in three groups such as wastes of textile production, artificial cord factory wastes and the wastes of consumers. Today, more than 60 % of textile wastes in Turkey are reused with reproduction. It creates an added-value equals to produce cotton nearly over 2 billion square meter fields.
Uşak is the first in Turkey and the sixth all over the World as the center of collecting and processing textile wastes. In Uşak, coming to the forefront with the inducement of investments and employments law 5048 which has been enforced since 2004, many recycle fiber factories have gone into operation with this law. Uşak, with its more than 50 firms specialized in this field and with a 3000 employment, recycles 120 thousand ton plastic bottle and approximately 1000 ton textile fibers per day. Uşak, whose textile history goes back 400 years ago, obtains almost 365 thousand ton cotton per year from the wastes of textile together with its established recycling premises. Textile and secondary sectors provide employment for almost 20 .000 workers in Uşak. This figure, corresponding to 40% of employment in the city, shows the importance of textile and recycling for both the city and the economy of the country.
The Sector Is Looking For Its Standards
The sector, obtaining the wastes mostly from Uşak and The Aegean part of Turkey and also both from inland and abroad, creates a positive contribution about preventing environmental pollution by removing the environmental effects of textile besides its value-added in economy. The sector classifies first the regenerated husks according to their color and by this way it can get fibers in different colors. Colorful cotton can be obtained in this process without the cost of coloring and the use of chemical substances .The unlicensed pickers of husks cause increasing demands for inspection in this sector.
Certificates of quality and standards are the main tools in the struggle of off –the-books. Either authorization certificates given by the government or the standards determined by the independent international standardization companies have a great impact on this process. “The Standard of International Recycling” of Peterson Control Union Group is among these documents. This standard has been developed with the aim of verifying the amount of input and recycled parts in a product .It comes from the idea that it is important both for the retail dealers and for the consumers to know in which parts of certain products are used recycled substances and how these substances are processed all over the supply-chain .
We Produce 365 Thousand Ton Cotton with No Cropland
The Chairman of the executive board of Uşak Textile Employer Union Arif ÖZTAN ,saying that they produce almost one thousand ton cotton without cropland from textile wastes per day ,emphasized that this figure corresponds to 365 thousand ton per annum. Öztan said “One thousand ton husks – a 70 truck load – come from Turkey and all over the world.’’ To grow this amount in croplands that is obtained from the industrial wastes, one million five hundred decares are needed .We recover these wastes in economy. While doing these processes, the main input is the energy .If we are given encouragement in this issue, our potential goes up and In world, we can compete with our textile rivals India and China in this field’’
Öztan, reminding that Uşak has been a traditional textile city, stressed that 20 thousand workers have been employed together with secondary sectors in textile business. He mentioned that the first textile inventory in Uşak was set up in 1913 and three of the 13 textile companies of Turkey in that time were in Uşak. Öztan who says that textile sector is an important sector for the city gave such information about his works : “We –Uşak- recycle 120 ton plastic bottles into fiber by breaking and cleaning them. Besides this, we recycle 700-900 ton textile wastes into fiber by opening them in statures and produce 25 ton per day and 7 thousand 500 hundred ton wool wihtout fleece .While fixing some of these fibers, 500 ton of them is transformed into rope. We give 200 ton of these ropes obtained from the recycling to such companies as particularly blanket ,sock ,tricot and fabric production .
Öztan, declaring that they interview with the governmental authorities about the textile wastes importance and recycling and the anticipated encouragements, said that Uşak made the country gain 450 million Dollar with its recycling. Öztan who reminds that recycling of cotton, wool husks and plastic bottle is very important in the country’s economy besides its environmental effects argues that the encouragement that will be provided for themselves will create positive effects in industry. Öztan, stressing that off-the-books must be dealed with great effort, has emphasized that they are expecting 50% support about energy. Arif ÖZTAN ended his words saying that “We produce 365 thousand ton cotton with the help of recycling. We desire that the half percent of electricity bill should be granted by state aid. If this demand is realized, our contribution to the country’s economy will be 2 billion liras.
The Firms of The Sector Aims At Expanding
Halil ÇOBAN Textile which has been amongst the most important suppliers in the sector of recycled cotton fiber and opening cotton waste since 1981 is now one of the most important sectorial firms. The company has eight Laroche and one Villani stretchers machines in total. The firm, producing regenerated fiber, has a rope company at the same time .
Muzaffer Mert Textile, which is another important factory of transforming textile wastes into fiber, aims at raising its capacity to 36 thousand ton .The company ,preparing for raising its import rate to 70% with new agreements and investments, operates in an area that is almost 30 thousand square meter.
Önal Fibre, established in 1998 in Tekirdağ-Çerkezköy, set up its factory which has 12 thousand square meter closed area in 2011 in Uşak Organized Industrial Site .The firm having the production capacity of 750 ton per month in this area ,stays in a decent position in the sector of recycling fiber(regenerated fibre).The factory that produces fiber in 81 different color gives all of its productions to open-end firms. Moreover, Önal Fiber is the first company taking the certificate given by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry which is named “Safe and Recycling of Inert Wastes” at the same time.
The Industry of Usaş Fiber Recycling which was founded in 2003 for polyester fiber production and which was founded with the name of Fuxing & Usaş Recycling Industry by Turkey – China partnership, made its capital structure 100% Turkish capital. The firm whose way of production is to recycle plastic bottle wastes operates in Uşak Organized Leather Site .The company brings almost 20 thousand wastes in the economy each year. USAŞ FİLTER which has the license of the Ministry of environment maintains its operations about ISO 14000- ISO 18001 for the Licence of Segregation and Collection.
Ranteks Textile set up in 1995 produces mostly regenerated fiber from the cotton textile husks. While some parts of the raw material are transformed into the rope in the factory ,the other part is sold mostly abroad.The firm SARAR Blanket Textile that the famous ready-to-wear brand SARAR has set up for the home textile operates its production line by collecting the husks taken from the ready-made clothing stores.
