What comes around must go around
As the recycling movement slowly grows in the UAE, interest in the recycling of clothes is also expanding with hundreds of green charity boxes placed across the country.
talked to Binu Thankappan, office manager at Al Wadaq Recycling Company located in Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah, about the process of recycling clothes.
“We receive around 10,000 tonnes of clothes per month on average from some of the major suppliers from Europe, the US, and some Asian countries.
We also receive collections from the UAE,” said Thankappan. Al Wadaq’s Textile Collection Management Services (TCMS) provide the opportunities for charities and the general public to dispose of more of its used clothing in an environmentally friendly way.
Imported clothes are separated into different categories, by age, size, and type of clothing. Usable items are separated and packed to be exported either for donations or to be resold. Al Wadaq is one of the largest and fastest growing textiles recycling companies in the world, first launched in Karachi, Pakistan in early 1990s. The business then expanded to Sharjah Industrial Area in 1999. The company specialises in the collection, recycling and exporting of used clothing. It works in partnership with some of Europe’s biggest charities and local authorities and provides strategic recycling and collection solutions for cities, municipalities, communities, shopping centres, retailers, churches and schools. Through its operation, it diverts millions of pounds of clothing from landfills, generates new revenue streams for businesses and non-profits, and fuels local economies.
It currently exports clothes to over two dozen countries, including Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, Congo and South Africa.
The company expanded its operations to other emirates in the UAE, by opening branches — one in Al Jurf Industrial area, Ajman, and another two in Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah.