site.btaOrganization Advocating Circular Production Collects 2,900 Tonnes of Textile Waste Annually

In recent years, the Bulgarian Circular Textile Association (BCTA) has put much effort into raising public awareness of the environmental footprint of the textile industry and the benefits of separate collection and re-use of textile waste. BCTA is expanding its network of special containers where households can discard the textile products they no longer need. The association operates in 49 of Bulgaria's 265 municipalities and collects about 2,900 tonnes of textile waste annually. It is all voluntary work without financial support, BCTA Executive Director Sirma Zheleva tells BTA.

The interview was conducted on the occasion of the International Day of Zero Waste, March 30. This second annual zero-waste day highlighted both the critical need to bolster waste management globally and the importance of sustainable production and consumption practices. It celebrated zero-waste initiatives at all levels, which contribute to the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations says on its website.

According to Zheleva, this is an important initiative which encourages people to minimize conventional waste disposal, use textile products longer, find ways to recycle them, and gradually attain the zero-waste goal. On a global level, all efforts are aimed at upgrading waste management through cooperation among governments, the NGO sector, the corporate community and private individuals, Zheleva says.

She describes the Circular Economy Action Plan of the European Commission as a pivotal document. It has spawned dozens of sectoral EU strategies, regulations, directives and policies aimed at limiting the generation of waste and extending the life of products. Such instruments include new packaging and ecodesign rules, sustainable products criteria, goals for sustainable material use, and promotion of circular business models, among many others. All these measures are for the long term and are geared towards a more comprehensive change of business models and consumer conduct, the expert says.

She notes that these ideas and goals are ever more widely embraced by the people. The new generations have a penchant for environmentally friendly practices. However, it is a long way, the change will not happen overnight, she warns, adding that BCTA keeps working with devotion.

BCTA has processed over 100,000 tonnes of disused textiles in just three years, 70% of which has been prepared for re-use. This has led to various environmental savings such as reduction of carbon emissions by 1.7 million tonnes, which equals the emissions released by 2 million cars, or three-quarters of cars in Bulgaria.

The country's first textile recycling installation went into operation in the seaside city of Varna at the end of last year. It has closed the circle of textile utilization, the BCTA chief said.