How to Recycle Workwear & PPE the 11 Most Common Questions

How to Recycle PPE & Workwear

Recycling Workwear & PPE is a relatively new concept and one that has previously had very few available solutions. Over the 30 years that LION have been selling PPE and workwear, we have only recently begun to look into providing this solution for our clients, and we are not the only ones waking up to the big, unsustainable elephant in the room! 

As the Managing Director at LION, it has been my pleasure to lead on sustainable solutions for the company and to help create solutions for our clients. Finding end-of-life solutions for your used PPE and workwear is a big priority for a lot of our customers. 

Below, I’ve listed the questions I get asked the most by clients who are confused about what their next steps towards recycling PPE should be so that you know what your options are:

What is PPE and Workwear Recycling?

Generally speaking, when the term “recycling” comes up in relation to PPE and safety workwear, people are talking about an ‘end-of-life’ solution for their used garments. In today's society, we see recycling as the final step in a product's journey: does it go to landfill or does it become something else? 

The perception of PPE recycling is that you can take a garment and turn it into something else, but the reality is that this isn’t always possible. There are items and materials that cannot yet be recycled, but can then be repurposed for example as clean energy. Whether items get shredded and put back into production, or burned for clean air energy, there is something that you can do to make sure your products are not going into landfill and further polluting our planet with the generated carbon that is produced from this.

Is PPE recyclable?

Yes. All PPE can be recycled in the broader sense that once you have finished with it, there is something that can be done with it to save it from ending up in landfill: recycling (fully shredding the garment down to the fibre in order to put those fibres back into the manufacturing process), re-using (taking the garment and giving it to charity or impoverished communities for a new life outside of workwear/protection), or re-purposing into clean energy.

Factors also need to be taken into account such as, does the garment carry a company logo on it? therefore 2nd life use will create a security risk. Is it classed as an item of PPE? Therefore there will be a risk of contamination or the user wearing a non-compliant item.

Can I put used PPE and workwear in my recycle bin?

No. The best way to recycle your PPE and workwear is to get in touch with your supplier and find out what end-of-life solutions they can offer you. If your supplier does not already do this, you can work directly with third-party companies, which specialise in this. 

What PPE and workwear CAN be recycled?

Where “recycling” means that a product will go through a destruction process in order to re-use the fibres in manufacturing; the only products you can do this with are ones that are made of only one base fabric, such as 100% cotton or 100% polyester. 

At present, while technology emerges, the best-known fabric for recycling is polyester. 

What PPE and workwear CAN’T be recycled?

• Any mixed-material garments (such as polyester/cotton)
  
• Multi-layered garments, such as hi-vis jackets that contain polyester outers and nylon
  liners
  
• PPE:
• Gloves
• Hi-vis
• Footwear
• Head and face products
• Workwear that has branding, either embroidery or heat seal (these would need to be shredded for security purposes).
•  

You may have noticed that there’s a lot you can’t recycle. Technology is not as yet able to deal with the complex garments and equipment that we use every day for PPE and workwear, and as such, it is essential to look at different available avenues for these items.

What options are there for PPE that can’t be recycled?

If we constructively take the perception of a garment being repurposed over recycled, our view of possible end-of-life solutions for our PPE opens up, and more options become visible.

For example, you could donate your items to charities who will find uses for them. This scheme turns otherwise unrecyclable products into either waste-processed fibre or refuse-derived fuel.

What are the options for people? Amongst many basic options, while technology and buying behaviours, start to generate new working methods and practices we have noted the following.

1. Clean air power is an option that allows PPE & workwear to be security shredded to destruction and the shredding is used as a source of electricity generation at a power station
   
2. Local charity banks can reuse workwear which has no branding attached. This is a great way of getting unemployed back into work with a lower cost to protect them. The downside to this is that workwear with company branding cant be used and PPE should be used unless it has been re-certified for its intended use.
3. Garments which are produced from 100% polyester materials including threads, buttons and zip fasteners can be repurposed back to polyester pellets and reintroduced as a fibre.
4. Workwear repurposing is currently used where the garments are given a second life by repurposing into rags or shredded and used as a filling, for example, in punchbags or bedding.

Is there anything I can do apart from repurposing my workwear?

Yes, in actual fact there is at least one!

We are big advocates of “whole life costing” also known as “total cost of ownership”.

This is where we take into account the total cost of the product, from point of purchase to its disposal, and the costs associated with this.

Research and data are available to demonstrate that there is a reduction in whole-life costs associated with investing in more durable products. Primarily, the cost of any workwear is in the weight of the fabric, the quality of zips and fastenings, and the build of the garment, for example, the quality of thread used, and its construction.

You can easily work out your employee workwear “whole life” costs and place a “per day” cost against each garment style which you can also extend to PPE. On top of this build in the cost of disposing of it and the hidden costs associated with increased frequency of ordering, stocking, financing, and managing this against a longer-lasting product which reduces the aforementioned hidden costs.

The impact to your carbon footprint is reduced immediately you take the next.

How can I recycle PPE with LION?

LION offers an end-of-life service for all PPE and workwear through its collection programme. This includes all workwear and PPE such as footwear, reusable and disposable gloves, safety helmets, etc

Our process for this is simple and hassle-free:

1. Confirm your desired collection schedule
2. Place all your used/end-of-life garments in paper sacks within a lockable wheelie bin
3. We arrange collection
4. Your consignment is weighed so that you can monitor your impact through monthly certificates
5. Once your consignment is with our third-party contractor, it is either securely shredded and used for clean energy or separated for garment breakdown and a second life

How much does it cost to recycle my PPE with LION?

Our prices depend on the size of unit you would like collected and is as follows:

If you’re interested in recycling your PPE with us, get in touch with your Account Manager who will introduce you to our key sustainability programme contact, Roger Lewis

What other PPE recycling services are out there?

While recycling in our industry is still an emerging offering, there are other suppliers who are trying to do their bit. A few we’ve found are:

• Greenham's Product Recycling Service
• Tower Supplies Textile Destruction and Recycling Service
• Scott Direct PPE & Workwear Recycling
  
  
  What else can I do to make my PPE and workwear more sustainable?
  

If you are looking into recycling your PPE, the chances are that you are also looking into how to make sure that your PPE and workwear products are more sustainable before they reach the end of their useful life too. There’s a lot more to sustainable PPE and workwear than what happens to it once you’ve finished using it! 

Here are some things you can look out for when you start your buying process:

1. Sustainable products 
2. Conduct a product trial
3. Buy more durable products

Sustainable Products

‘Sustainable Product’ is a vague term, and it can mean different things to different companies. The main areas companies tend to focus on when they talk about procuring sustainable products are:

• Are they made with sustainable or recycled materials?
• Are the manufacturers carbon-neutral or carbon conscious in their manufacturing processes? (This can include running factories with renewable energy, to factories that are closer to the UK and shipped using carbon-neutral methods.)
• Is the manufacturing process sustainable and eco-friendly? This is a much bigger area to explore, but here are some good places to start:
• How much water is used in the manufacturing process?
• Are the dyes used harmful to the environment?
• Do the factories manufacturing the products have ethical policies in place to ensure no child labour or modern slavery occurs?
  
  

It can be difficult to find manufacturers that can ensure sustainable products. LION has made strategic partnerships with companies who are dedicated to sustainability and pioneering the paths in this industry. Below are our sustainable partners in each category:

If you have any questions about the sustainability initiatives of any of the above manufacturers, get in touch with us.

Conduct a product trial

Why would conducting a product trial help you with sustainable practice?

The answer here is simple: if you know the product is the best fit for the job at hand, you will not waste time and money buying it and rolling it out in bulk. 

If you buy without trying first, you run the risk of buying a lot of products that won’t work for you and your team. This is a waste of time and money, for sure, but it can also have a significant impact on the planet if these garments go to landfill instead of getting used and recycled.

Check out this article about how to run a successful product trial so that you can be sure the products you are buying for your team won’t go to waste. 

Buy more durable products

This point, I would argue, is the most important when you are considering your sustainability initiatives. If the products you buy do not last long in the role they are being used in, it doesn’t matter how the products are made; the volume of garments you will be wasting (whether in a landfill or in an end-of-life recycling scheme) will still have a very negative impact on the environment. It can sometimes seem cheaper to provide garments that cost less money, but this is also not always true because a more durable item that costs more will not require replacing as much. This is not only better for the planet, but also for your pocket! 

That is why it is always good to look into cost-in-use and the longevity of a garment before you buy it, to help ensure you have the most sustainable option.

I want to recycle my PPE and workwear with LION

That’s great! 

Check out our PPE and workwear recycling plan for more information.