Paper ID: EE-041

International Conference on Recent Innovation in Civil Engineering for Sustainable

Development(IICSD-2015)
Department of Civil Engineering
DUET - Gazipur, Bangladesh

Recycling Garments Fabric Wastes

N.C. Roy1*; M.A. Hannan2; K.M.Uddin3; M.N. Uddin 4: M.R Rana5

Abstract
Recently, our country’s ongoing garments factories are producing huge garments waste, which causes
environmental hazards, due to lack of proper labor management. Factories sell this waste to the local
retailers at low price rather utilizing them properly. Some wastes are incinerated and produce harmful
smoke, causing environmental pollution. The purpose of this research is to reveal the suitable scope
for the waste to be used in a persistent way, for instance new and fashionable garments that could be
enough to meet our customer demand which will be spread out not only our local markets but also in
international markets. Garments factories produce mainly two types of wastes like knit fabric wastes
& woven fabric wastes that are composed of natural & synthetic fibers. Waste of fabric made of
synthetic fibers does not get mixed with soil. In this work, woven fabric wastage was used for Gent’s
& Kid’s fashionable garments which have been used as backing of chain stitch with the main fabric
on button line, collar back part & sleeve. Colorful knit fabric waste was used in front side of kid
garments. On the other hand, knit waste also was used in arm hole bounding & pocket in t-shirts. If
our factories use the valuable waste to produce fashionable garments, they will be highly benefited to
earn a lot of foreign currency. Moreover factory can attract buyers with their new products at low
price.

Keywords: pollution &control, woven & knit waste uses, fashionable garments, Foreign currency.

1. Introduction

At present, the Garments of Bangladesh are at the brink of risk. Ongoing apparel industries are
being stopped due to lack of investor and buyer. Formerly, they used to achieve good will for
their business behavior. Wastages generated by garments production that remains as surplus
after cutting is usually considered as wastage as a result of poor management system of wastes
and their recycling. Consequently, instead of valuable of resources for fashion industries all
they are being the culprit of environmental pollution. This research approaches some practices
to use these wastages as the raw material for another industry holding the concept of industrial
ecology.

1
DUET Student (DGPS Member), [email protected]
2
Associate Professor,TE, DUET, [email protected]
3
DUET Student (DGPS Member),[email protected]
4
DUET Student (DGPS Member), [email protected]
5
DUET Student (DGPS Member), [email protected]

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1.1 Types of Wastes
This factory is produced two types of waste like as knit fabric waste & woven fabric waste
which composed with natural & synthetic fiber. Synthetic fiber of fabric waste do not mixed
with soil. Our Bangladeshi garments factory is produced Remnants fabric which is made in
cutting role. Remnant’s fabric means that cutting role end waste which is actually shrinkage
fabric. When a cutting master spread the main fabric of garments on cutting table, then this
cutting man cut this extra shrinkage fabric both side [5].

2. What is Textile Waste

Like all wastes, textile waste originates from the community via a number of streams including
the fibre, textile and clothing manufacturing industry, consumers, the commercial and service
industries. These are defined as pre-consumer, post-consumer and industrial textile waste [1].

2.1 Industrial Textile Waste

However, there is research currently being undertaken by a number of industries, including the
carpet industry, to utilize this resource. Industrial textile waste is generated from commercial
and industrial textile applications including commercial waste from properties such as carpets
and curtains, hospital refuse in addition to industrial applications such as filtration, conveyor
belting, etc. Industrial textile waste is usually “dirty waste”. Collection and chemical
contamination issues render this category as the least likely to be recovered in Australia. A
substantial proportion of these end-of-life goods are consigned to landfill [1].

2.2 Recovery of Textile Waste

The organised recovery of textile waste can be traced back as far as the old clothiers, many of
whom were farmers involved in the cottage industries in all stages of textile production. The
practice of recovering waste is as old as the art of spinning and weaving. Shoddy and mungo
were invented when old clothes were ground back into a fibrous state that could be re-spun
into yarn. The shoddy industry, which was centred around West Yorkshire in the UK and Prato
in Italy, concentrated on the recovery of wool from rags. The importance of the industry is
gauged by the fact that even in 1860 the town of Batley was producing over 7000 tonnes of
shoddy. At the time there were 80 firms employing a total of 550 people sorting the rags.
These were sold to shoddy manufacturers of which there were about 130 in West Riding. Since
these early days most countries have operated waste textiles industries, Prato in Italy being a
prime example. Today, recovering textile waste is a multi-billion dollar global industry that
performs a vital social and environmental function and provides employment for millions of
people all around the world. Aninternet search on “textile waste” will elicit more than 2,664
products or listings, including headings such as hosiery cuttings and clips, polyester tow,
cotton shoddy, used clothing wiping rags, denim/jean clippings, 100% cotton yarn waste, silk
fibre waste, etc. In Australia the organised recovery of post-consumer textile waste is mainly
undertaken by charities such as the Brotherhood of St Laurence, St Vincent De Paul and Life
Line, although in recent times a small number of private operators have entered the market.
Collection is mostly of second hand clothing (post-consumer waste) by means of community
donations deposited into charity bins, thousands of which are located across Australia, and/or
drop-offs directly to charity shops. The role of the charitable organisation is covered in
Appendix 1 [1].

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2.3 Textile Waste Collection

For consumers the most common way of recycling textiles is reuse through reselling or
donating to charity (Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, etc.). However, certain communities
in the United States have been accepting textiles in curbside pickup since 1990. The textiles
must be clean and dry in order to be accepted for recycling. Some companies, such as
Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, accept their product back for recycling.
Other companies, like US Again, are for-profit textile recycling companies using collection
bins at a variety of sites. Textile recycling equipment plays an important part in the textile
recycling industry - Standard and high-efficiency textile recycling equipment is quite
important for supporting the textile industry. So far, the most popular and widely accepted
clothing recycling bin are designed and manufactured by overseas companies, which use a
high safety chutes that are easily opened and closed [2].In this research paper, we have to work
with most of the garments factory to visit their contribution of waste management. In
Bangladesh, huge waste is produced their industry like as knit waste. In knit waste, this waste
is produced in their cutting table. This waste is produced more than 1% waste above their total
waste in cutting table [3].

3. Design and Developments

Textile waste is to be moderated by some meaningful design. In this research paper, we

moderated some design for general wear of international market. At this stage, young
generation are mostly involved this fashion which is most important for developing this design
where as our parents also involved to choose their best design for kids fashion [4].

4. Contribution of the RMG Industry

RMG business started in the late 70s as a negligible non-traditional sector with a narrow
export base and by the year 1983 it emerged as a promising export earning sector; presently it
contributes around 75 percent of the total export earnings. Over the past one and half decade,
RMG export earnings have increased by more than 8 times with an exceptional growth rate of
16.5 percent per annum. In FY06, earnings reached about 8 billion USD, which was only less
than a billion USD in FY91. Excepting FY02, the industry registered significant positive
growth throughout this period. In terms of GDP, RMG’s contribution is highly remarkable; it
reaches 13 percent of GDP which was only about 3 percent in FY91. This is a clear indication
of the industry’s contribution to the overall economy. It also plays a pivotal role to promote the
development of other key sectors of the economy like banking, insurance, shipping, hotel,
tourism, road transportation, railway container services, etc.

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 (Source from Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and Economic Trends, Bangladesh Bank) [8]

Fig 4: Trend of RMG Export Volume, Export Growth and Contribution of GDP

4.1 Exporting Condition of Garments Industry

The export made by Garments Industries of Bangladesh is improving year after year except
some of the year. Strike, layout, shutdown of company, political problem, economic problem,
inflation etc. are the prime cause of decreasing export in this important sector. But above it,
Readymade Garments Industries is the leading sector in export sector.

Fig 4.1 Bangladesh RMG Export in Billion USD

During the Fiscal Year (2011-12) our total export volume was USD 24.23 billion. Out of the
total export, export from the RMG sector was USD 19.09 billion which is 78.7% of total
export. Global market size export of RMG (Woven & Knit) is US$ 400 billion. China export
USD 143 BN# Number 1st Exporter, Bangladesh export USD 19.09 BN Number 2nd Exporter
(Market Share of Bangladesh is only 5% among the global market) [8].

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5. Cost Analysis
5.1 Costing For Knit Items (T-Shirt)
Fabric consumption per garments = .150 kg and Price per kg = 390 taka
Total price per garments = 58.5 taka & total production per day = 27,000 pieces
Total price per day = 27,000 x 58.5 taka
= 15,79,500 taka
Total fabric is required per day = 4,050 kg
If we considered 10% Wastage per day then amount of wastage fabric found
= 4,050 x 10% = 405 kg
Total cost per day by the wastage = 405 x 390 taka
= 1,57,950 taka [7]
6. Methodologies

Waste fabric collect Packing

Final product
Identify of size waste

Ironing
Identify the woven or knit wastes

Inspection
Big size used for kids T-shirt, Small
size for jeans T-shirt
Side part, Pocket stitching with
waste in T-shirt woven fabric
Waste fabric strength test
(Knit)
Prepare fresh T-shirt for stitching Stitch in front part of jeans T-shirt
with small size of woven fabric
Stitch small size of woven wastes
waste in fresh T-shirt

7. Results and Discussion

It accounted that in conventional marker making; the marker efficiency is maximum 85% for
symmetric fabric and for other asymmetric fabric it becomes lower than that of symmetric
fabric. So the value of wastage is at least 15% of fabric cost. Moreover, due to lack of proper
technical knowledge it is not being managed and recycled adequately to convert them as useful
resources. Thus production costs get increased. In this research, product cost using wastage
has been determined by 100 taka per T-shirt. This price is enough to get the quality of young
generation fashion. Young generation can fulfill their dream by this fashionable garment. Kids
T-shirt price is identified by 120 taka. This dress is comfortable to wear if our parents aware to

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collect their baby dress. Overall we can easily earn a lot of foreign currency whereas
Bangladesh can easily grow up garments business.
In addition, the wastages generated are responsible for environmental pollution (atmosphere),
if simple combustion is followed. The situation is bolstered to a more deterioration when they
are spilled to lithosphere (as most of synthetic fibres are not bio degradable). So the concept of
using of the wastage generated by this industry does not only produce money for the
stakeholders but also reduce environmental impact. Apart from this, the approach also suggest
to apply the principle of industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis. We can earn a lot of foreign
currency whereas Bangladesh can easily grow up garments sector to get potential buyer.

Fig 7.1 Kids T-Shirt With wastage fabric Fig 7.2 Jeans T-Shirt With wastage fabric

8. Conclusions
In this research, we can reach a goal to get international market by exporting this fashion able
garments .Bangladesh will be benefited by exporting this product rather than they will sell this
product to local market. By proper use of this valuable waste, ecological impact will run
quickly to remove this create of the environmental issue. This kind of waste to get rid of
burned with fire from environmental hazard. Finally our young generation to get their
necessary goods by this fashion able garments at the low price.

9. References
[1] K Caulfield, Discussion paper Sources of Textile waste in Australia, August 13, 2009,
[2] Parliament, E. U., & Parliament, U. K. (2008). From Wikipedia, Population, 20, 1.
[3] Md Abdur Rahman, personal communication, over telephone, September 8, 2015.
[4] Md Masuq-Ullah Palash, personal communication, May 10, 2015.
[5] Tushar Kumar Paul, personal communication, April 16, 2015.
[6] Md Sourav, personal communication, March 13, 2015.
[7] Syfur Rahman, personal communication, over telephone, September 8. 2015.
[8] Report On Garments Industry in Bangladesh, Assignment Point, Google.

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