Every year, India generates nearly 7.8 million metric tonnes of textile waste. This includes old sarees, uniforms, jeans, bedsheets, curtains and other fabrics used in homes, offices and industries. Most of this waste ends up in landfills, even though a large part of it can be reused, repaired or recycled.

Various cities in India have been trying to come up with efficient ways of handling textile wastes. One such city which has achieved significant success is Navi Mumbai.

Within the ambit of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0, NMMC has set up India’s first Municipal Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) in Belapur, wherein textile waste can be collected and converted into useful products rather than being discarded as garbage.

However, the TRF is more than just a place for collecting waste. It is an integrated system comprising waste collection, segregation, technological integration, and livelihood creation.

This system begins with the installation of textile collection bins throughout the housing societies in all eight wards of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. These branded bins facilitate the donation of clothes and fabrics by individuals. At present, 140 such bins have been placed, and the next step is to install 250 bins.

Once the textile waste is collected, it is taken to the interim Textile Recovery Facility in Belapur, which has been set up inside a repurposed urban health centre.

Here, the collected materials are weighed, tagged and sorted carefully into different categories such as reusable, recyclable, up cyclable, down cyclable and reject waste.

For better accuracy of the sorting process, the centre deploys a KOSHA hand-held scanner. With the aid of the scanner, fabric material such as cotton, polyester, polycotton, wool, and silk is identified. In addition, this will assist employees in sorting materials accurately.

In addition, the project will develop a database tracking system for the entire process of handling textile products. There will be an introduction of a new MIS tool, which will assist in following up on how the textile item travels throughout the sorting process until it finally reaches its destination.

After segregating the fabrics, they are sanitized to ensure that they are hygienic for recycling purposes. The fabrics are also segregated according to the type of material, color, and condition.

The reusable fabrics are used to create bags, mats, clothes, accessories, and interior decorating materials. These products are manufactured by women from self-help groups, who have undergone training in textile segregation, stitching, repairing, and upcycling.

More than 300 women have undergone the eight-day Training-of-Trainer program that teaches them about fiber identification, segregation, repair, and upcycling skills.

Currently, around 150 women have been engaged in this project where they earn between Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 15,000 every month.

For many women, it has become much more than just a job opportunity. Previously housewives with limited earnings options are now becoming skilful in circular economies.

The Textile Recovery Facility has been able to collect 30 metric tonnes of post-consumer textile waste till now. In this, 25.5 metric tonnes of post-consumer textile waste have undergone scientific sorting.

More than 41,000 pieces have been collected till now with almost 500 pieces being handled every single day.

Another remarkable achievement of this project is that there has been good participation from the public. Over 1,14,575 households have been contacted by means of awareness programs, and more than 75 workshops have been organised.

The project has generated over 400 samples of products through upcycling techniques. Some of the notable achievements include the creation of an initial batch of papers from textile waste that has been discarded.

To generate more interest in the products produced by the women, the TRF group members have participated in over 30 exhibitions and other related events.

This project had some challenges at the outset, such as reluctance on the part of society members to keep collection bins for discarded clothing in their societies. Most individuals were not aware of textile segregation processes.

Nevertheless, these challenges were progressively solved by creating awareness among people, coordination and using fiber scanning technology.

Following the success of the Belapur plant, the next objective will be to set up a permanent and bigger Textile Recovery Facility at Koparkhairane close to Nisarg Udyan.

The Textile Recovery Plant at Navi Mumbai proves that second-hand clothing should not end up in landfills. With proper planning, they can provide employment opportunities, empower women, cut down landfills, and help create a circular economy.

The initiative also aligns well with objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, Smart City Mission, and Sustainable Development Goal 12, which aims at sustainable consumption and production.