In 2019, Singapore generated more than 168,000 tonnes of textile and leather waste, but only 4% of such waste was recycled. On the positive note, there have been an increasing number of enterprises in the Fashion Industry have started to take up the role of leading recycling for textiles. Some of the places where you can recycle your textiles are:
1. H&M
A green recycling bin is located near the cashier counter in every H&M outlet. This is part of their H&M Garment collection project where you will receive a shopping voucher for every bag of textiles which you have recycled.
2. Uniqlo
The Uniqlo sustainability project will sort the clothing collected into wearables and unwearable. All Uniqlo items are accepted for recycling. Wearables will be distributed to those who need them most like refugees or disaster victims. Unwearable will be recycled into refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF) pellets for fuel.
3. Greensquare
Greensquare provides free textile recycling services to households and organisations in Singapore and also promote awareness of the 3Rs through education. They provide a free-of-charge and convenient doorstep collection service for unwanted clean clothing, shoes, accessories (e.g. belts and bags) and household linens. Greensquare’s collected recyclables are sold to second-hand textile importers in various developing countries.
Schedule your collection or find out where you can drop off your clothes here.