Beijing CPPCC member Liu Xuequan (China Democratic League) put forward a proposal in January 2022, suggesting advancing the recycling and resource utilization of waste textiles. The proposal noted that about 70% of waste textiles are chemical fibers, which are difficult to degrade naturally, and that landfilling or incineration occupies land and pollutes the environment; at present, textile recycling in Beijing suffers from problems such as incomplete category coverage, crude sorting, high logistics costs for out-of-city utilization, and weak downstream linkages.

Key Points

  • Liu Xuequan pointed out that 70% of waste textiles are chemical fibers, and landfilling or incineration occupies land and causes serious environmental pollution
  • The proposal suggests planning and building sorting and dismantling centers around Beijing, and exploring the joint construction of a formal circular industry chain with enterprises in provinces with developed textile regeneration utilization
  • It suggests building a supply-demand service platform and an online data monitoring platform to achieve full-process data traceability from recycling points to sorting centers

During his research, Liu Xuequan found that under Beijing's existing recycling model, waste textiles that are not easily exported, such as bed sheets, curtains, pillowcases, tablecloths, and mattresses, are not included in the recycling list, the recycling chain is artificially fragmented, and residents' willingness to sort and dispose of waste is affected. At the same time, most recycled textiles are not graded or classified, and even when grading occurs, it is only roughly distinguished by new versus old or summer versus winter clothing, making it difficult to meet the requirements of end-stage resource utilization and industrial use.

Logistics and industry chain linkage are also bottlenecks. Most waste textiles recycled in Beijing are transported elsewhere for utilization. Due to the lack of transit packaging and primary classification centers, logistics costs are high, and cost inversion even occurs, weakening enterprises' enthusiasm for recycling. Recycling enterprises generally do not understand the raw material standards of downstream comprehensive utilization enterprises, supply and demand information is asymmetric, and downward extension is weak.

To this end, Liu Xuequan suggested laying out specialized collection, storage, and transit points, sorting and dismantling centers, and high-value utilization enterprises as soon as possible. He proposed that collection, storage, and transit points should be rationally laid out through standardized management, integration and renovation, or investment in new construction, and that enterprises should be encouraged to carry out full-category recycling; in line with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration strategy, sorting and dismantling centers should be planned around Beijing, and a formal circular industry chain should gradually be jointly built with enterprises in provinces with developed textile regeneration utilization.

He also suggested building a supply-demand service platform and an online data monitoring platform for waste textiles, promoting efficient upstream and downstream linkage, achieving full-process data traceability from recycling points to collection, storage, and transit points and then to sorting centers, and increasing policy support and fiscal and tax incentives for formal recycling and comprehensive utilization enterprises, strengthening publicity and advocacy, and guiding the public to use products made from recycled waste textiles.

This proposal echoes common industry challenges in waste textile recycling and utilization, such as a fragmented recycling chain, crude sorting, and high cross-regional logistics costs, and has reference significance for the construction of the old clothing recycling system and the layout of the resource utilization industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Source: Liu Xuequan: Advancing the Recycling and Resource Utilization of Waste Textiles - 71.cn · Originally published on 2022-01-05