When you think of a breathable material that you’d like to use, cotton-made must be one of your top picks, right? May it be for indoor or outdoor clothing, towels, and other textile apparels, cotton has been a staple choice for all ages.
Commercial cotton, by origin, is made from the soft fiber found in the cotton plant. To make it to the type of textile that we enjoy nowadays, this fiber is spun into a thread or yam, and is most widely used natural-fiber cloth.
Recently, there’s been a positive trend to greener communities. This has been supported with the advocacy to renewable resources, urban gardening and farming, and the use of organic products. As response by some of those concerned and involved in the cotton industry, there are production mills which were converted to specialize into cotton waste recycling / re-using.
In this article, we will take a look into cotton waste, cotton recycling and its potential uses.
What is Cotton Waste and Cotton Recycling?
By definition, cotton waste is said to be a “short fiber resulting from the processing of raw cotton. The qualities of cotton waste are comber waste, soft waste, unwillowed dropping, hard waste, flat strips and oily cotton”. The process of conversion, from raw fibers into textiles (both apparel and non-apparel), is a complicated one and even observes stages. These includes: yarn formation, fabric formation, wet processing, and textile fabrication. With such complexities, cotton waste or fiber leftovers are bound to happen
Recycling, on the other hand, has something to do with the spinning of leftover fibers into new yarns and fabrics. Naturally, cotton recycling has its limitations given some conditions, but its overall effect as an alternative to disposal supports sustainability. That is what is essentially good about it.
Potential Uses of Cotton Waste
Recycled cotton has numerous potential uses. They can be processed to make:
- Clothing and textiles made with a percentage of recycled cotton combined with recycled plastic bottles
- Wiper and polishing cloths in the industrial setting
- Durable and high-quality paper. It’s used to as bank notes and used for important documents as well.
- Seat stuffing and insulation (in their fibrous state)
Although cotton fibers may not be all utilized for recycling, as a natural and biodegradable material, it will not take up a lot of space in the landfills.
Reused Cotton in Towel Set
Would you like to take part in this recycling movement? Vinga offers you this Aberdeen Towel Set Reused Cotton for starters. It is 18% certified reused cotton, and made in 550 gsm woven terry. We have options for you to choose from, and this lovely set has also been designed with earthy colors to compliment your bathroom.
Thanks to an optimized manufacturing process, the unwanted properties were reduced, leaving you with towels that are not only aesthetically pleasing but soft to the touch and comfortable to use as well.
The resolve to start a sustainable way of living comes within you, and Vinga will be right here to help you strengthen just that.