At the Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) in Hirandahalli where used textiles from around 10 wards of Bengaluru arrive, Indumathi, a waste picker turned entrepreneur looks cheerful and upbeat. He recalls how during Deepavali the metal-roofed facility “almost became a shopping mall.”
“I was surprised that there was so much demand for even used clothes! During Dasara and Deepavali, locals as well as migrant workers come here to buy the clothes. Business is brisk during the festive months.”
TRF, run by Indumathi and employing four people, is part of a larger effort to create a value chain for post-consumer textile waste while weaving it into alternative livelihoods for waste pickers.
The NGO Hasiru Dala and the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), in partnership with Saamuhika Shakti – a non-profit organization that brings together several organizations to strengthen the community of informal waste pickers – have been working to see if they can introduce systems and processes. for the same.
In the initiative, used clothes are collected from individual homes, sorted, separated and, depending on their quality, recycled, recycled, sold or resold. According to the NGO, this successfully diverted 1,35,000 kg of cloth from landfills last year between March and December and generated 18-25% in income for scavengers who directly participated in the program.
After a successful pilot last year with eight wards in the city, the program has been expanded to 10 wards this year. Five more DWCCs (Dry Waste Collection Centers) are being operationalized and aim to save 800 metric tons of clothing from reaching landfills in the next three years.
Dry Waste Collection Center in JP Nagar | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N
Process
In India, more than 80% of PET bottles are recycled, thanks to the established value chain around them. Collecting is also a useful proposition for waste collectors. The same goes for used textiles. With no formal system to create value from textile waste, most of it ends up in landfills, making it among the top three items in landfills.
“Before, we didn’t know what we could do with post-consumer textile waste. However, through experiments and pilots carried out in 2023 and 2024, we were able to show that there is value in post-consumer textile waste, and through methods and processes, we were able to create a system which is similar to plastic in India ,” said Zibi Jamal from Saamuhika Shakti.
The first step is to collect textile waste from individual homes. Waste pickers at DWCC in selected wards are trained to collect textile waste and awareness is created among residents. After collection, the first level of sorting occurs in DWCCs. Once a month, when the amount of clothes is a ton or more, it is sent to TRF. A secondary level of sorting happens in TRF.
“Many people can save money. Some can be recycled, made into yarn. A small amount can be upcycled. Some can be downcycled and used for stuffing. There is a small percentage – about 10 to 15% – that cannot be used for anything. It was sent to the waste-to-energy plant in Bidadi,” explained Jamal.
Employees sort textile waste at TRF. | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N
Close the loop
It all started when CAIF launched the Closing the Loop on Textile Waste program in 2021. The idea is to design and implement a circular textile waste management model.
“This program, so far, has been scaled up in 10 cities in India, but it all started in Bengaluru with two entrepreneurs,” said CAIF’s Rahul Chatterjee. Hasiru Dala came on board as an implementation partner on the ground and the implementation of the program in Bengaluru was supported by H&M Foundation and Saamuhika Shakti.
“Together we signed eight DWCC operators as part of the program and showed the value that can be recovered from textile waste,” said Chatterjee who indicated that in addition to preventing many clothes from reaching landfills, the program affected the lives and livelihoods of 225 waste workers.
“From among them, 33 immediately got a job and they saw an increase in income from 18 to 25 percent.”
Kumuda who manages the DWCC in JP Nagar was one of the first to join the programme. | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N
Improve results
Kumuda, who runs DWCC in JP Nagar, was one of the first to join the programme. He noted that every day about 10-15 kg of used clothes come to his center and the income from that is increasing. “We get around ₹ 15,000 for a ton of used clothes,” he said.
Ravi, a divisional manager with Hasiru Dala, notes that the awareness-building exercise has helped. He is one of the team members who conduct door-to-door visits twice a week to raise awareness and provide information about the BBMP guidelines.
“When fast fashion started, we saw a lot of textile waste entering the center. Before, it would go to the cement kiln. But now there is so much waste, that the cement factory doesn’t take it,” said Bianca Fernandes who works with Hasiru Dala.
“That’s when Hasiru Dala identified different types of rivers that can earn the livelihood of scavengers. As part of that, we collaborated with CAIF for this initiative.
TRF building
As the program progressed, certain challenges arose. DWCC is experiencing a space crunch to store textiles. In addition, there are legal restrictions that allow them to collect only from households and not from other sources. Some commercial buyers prefer to buy textiles in bulk from one entity rather than several DWCCs.
“Factoring in all of this learning, in phase two, we pivoted to the hub and spoke model. We established TRF as a hub and DWCCs will be the spokes. DWCCs will do the collection, primary sorting and then sell to the TRF. TRF will be the aggregation center, secondary sorting based on material and color and then sell to different buyers such as recyclers, downcyclers and retailers. TRF can also collect from other sources because they do not have such restrictions collect from commercial entities, schools, hostels, etc.,” explains Chatterjee.
The second phase of the project aims to impact the livelihoods of 500 waste collectors between 2024 and 2026.
Products like bags and artifacts are made from recycled clothing. | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N
Skill is a service model
The team is also working on a skills-as-a-service model in partnership with Sambhav Foundation, but another NGO is Saamuhika Shakti’s partner. In the model, women from scavenger families are trained to make recycled products using textile waste.
“We work with women informal waste pickers and upskill them so that they do not stay at the lower end of the spectrum of picking up waste, but go into production and higher value chains,” says Padmini Ram from the Sambhav Foundation.
“We get recycled fabric from Hasiru Dala. We work on making products such as bags, artefacts etc. and the products are sold to buyers. The women are trained here to make the products and earn profit from the sale,” she said.
Currently 12 women are being trained in the program.
Members of TRF, Saamuhika Shakti, Hasiru Dala and CAIF in TRF. | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N
The future of hope
Sagaya Mary, at DWCC near RV Road, has finished sorting for the day. All the clothes are packed and stacked neatly. A vehicle from the TRF is expected to arrive to collect.
“We have sent clothes five times to TRF. We made a profit,” said Mary.
Three months since its operation, TRF has processed 42 tons of textile waste. It hasn’t turned a profit though. But Indumathi is optimistic.
Expecting sales during the Deepavali season, he is confident the facility will be financially successful in two years.
He said, “Right now, we’ve only recovered 10% of the initial investment. It will take some time. But I think it’s good that we’re not sending clothes to the landfill, we’re saving the earth, we’re generating jobs for people, and it’s helping me build my career.”
Published – 28 November 2024 09:00 IST
