Creating the best possible conditions for recycling textile waste starts with the citizens. In order to reuse and recycle as much textile waste as possible, it is important that all citizens understand that their textile waste can become a resource rather than waste if it is sorted correctly and how this is done in practice. This requires clear and targeted communication.
Svenljunga Municipality in Sweden has just launched a new test under the SorTex project, investigating the potential for collecting textile waste directly in laundry rooms in apartment buildings.
The test will run from May 2025 to May 2026 and takes place in collaboration with the municipal housing company Svenbo.
A total of 90 households participate in three laundry rooms, where 190-liter containers for textile waste have been set up. Here, residents can hand in the textiles they no longer wish to keep.
The containers are not locked, so clear communication plays a key role in the trial. It is important that citizens know exactly what they are allowed to return so that the collection quality is high and the amount of mis-sorted waste is minimized.
The goal is that as much as possible of the collected textiles can either be reused or resold rather than becoming waste.
The containers are emptied every two to four weeks and are first transported to a local collection point in Borås. From here, the textile fraction is sent to Wargön Innovation, where the material is analyzed and assessed as part of the SorTex project's goal to improve sorting and recycling.
This test shows how local solutions and everyday environments - like the laundry room - can become an active part of the circular transition. The experience from Svenljunga will help develop future efficient and user-friendly collection systems for textile waste in both urban and rural areas.
