LSJH collection and customized sorting
LSJH coordinates the nationwide collection and sorting network in Finland. Municipal waste companies and their subcontractors pre-sort the end-of-life textiles collected from local residents.
Usable clothes and household textiles get a new life when they are separated and reused. The contaminated materials that end up in the collection will be incinerated.
The remaining textiles are sent to LSJH’s Turku sorting center for a final material-based quality check, ensuring they meet recycling standards for manufacturers in the textile, construction, furniture, shipbuilding, and automotive industries.
Textile waste is sorted in the following stages:
- Pre-Sorting: Pre-sorting takes place locally near the collection points. This stage involves removing any contaminated, moist, moldy, or odorous textiles and non-textile materials. This initial screening ensures that only suitable items proceed in the sorting process.
- Re-Use Sorting: After pre-sorting, textiles that are still in good condition for reuse or repair are carefully separated. These items are either directed to the reuse and upcycling textiles market or organized for consistent availability, promoting local second-hand sales and minimizing waste. This ensures that only materials fit for reprocessing advance to the next stage.
- Material-Based Sorting: Textiles that cannot be reused due to structural issues are identified for recycling.
At the LSJH sorting center, (our skilled specialists hand-sort) all items to ensure customized material content. In 2023, our processes and products were Global Recycle Standard (GRS) certified, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable practices. **something about importance of manual vs automated by skilled and experienced and educated professionals*****100% manual
While we aim to recycle as much as possible, not all textile waste suits our operations. the following information serves as a useful guide:
Non-acceptable items (combine with bottom list):
- Reuse textiles for second-hand sale.
- Pre-consumer (post-industrial) textile waste, such as warehouse deadstock, production side streams, or excess, unsold textiles.
- End-of-life textiles from commercial entities, including uniforms, hotel linens, and customer returns.
Acceptable items:
- End-of-life textiles that are dry and tidy.
- Clothes and household textiles, including jackets, trousers, skirts, shirts, sheets, towels, curtains, and tablecloths.
This means that we don’t accept the following:
- Clothes and household textiles still in good enough condition for reuse.
- Items with strong odors from sweat, mold, perfume, or washing detergents.
- Any textiles that are dirty, moldy, wet, heavily stained, or contaminated with insects, pests, or their remains.
- Specific items such as underwear, socks, tights, shoes, bags, belts, accessories, leather goods, furs, and down goods.
- Bulkier Items such as carpets, pillows, blankets, padding, and toys.
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