Directors Paul and John Roberts, alongside Waste Management Specialist Fred recently travelled to Düsseldorf, Germany to spend time with the team at TOMRA and explore emerging technology that could strengthen the future of textile recycling.
The team were keen to explore smarter and scalable ways to recover value from non-rewearable textiles, materials that currently present the biggest challenge for the wider industry,
Textiles sorting machine
The team got a close look at TOMRA’s advanced textile-sorting technology, which uses high-precision NIR (near-infrared) and VIS (visual) sensors to identify materials by both fibre type and colour. This allows materials such as cotton, polyester, wool and mixed fibres to be separated efficiently, while also grouping them into light and dark streams.
They also saw how the technology can quickly detect impurities like plastic trims, metal pieces, or other materials that shouldn’t be in the recycling stream. By removing these items early, the machine ensures that the remaining textile material is cleaner and better suited for mechanical or chemical recycling
