| 英文摘要 |
Every year, approximately 60,000 tons of used clothing is discarded nationwide. The discarded clothing is typically collected by cleaning squadron and local communities, then delivered to clothing recyclers for processing. The recycler sorts the discarded clothing for resale and export to Southeast Asia and African countries (Bangladesh, Kampuchea, South Africa, etc.). The waste clothing that can't be resold is reused in other ways. Cotton cloth can be used as cleaning rags in factories and shops. Denim cloth can be made into rugs, and woolens can be made into automotive interior or trunk lining. The remaining waste material is incinerated, accounting for 40% of the total, equaling 24,000 tons per year.
Current waste clothing material reuse methods include re-spinning the thread, reprocess for secondary feedstock, or use as construction material. But manual sorting is required to process the mixture of materials in waste clothing, which significantly increases the labor cost. The usage of recycled clothing material is also still limited. Due to the high cost and limited market applications, the reuse of waste clothing material remains difficult to promote.
We review the current regulation framework regarding the identification and reuse of waste clothing material. We suggest the EPA should revise the Regulations Governing General Waste Recycling, Clearance And Disposal to clarify the categories and management of waste clothing reuse, in accordance with Article 34, Section 1 of the law, and regulate the proper reuse of waste clothing (such as for use as boiler fuel).
|