After the introduction of tighter regulations governing the export of waste, the volume of textiles shipped abroad for sorting has dropped considerably. Textile recyclers said the supply of textiles for sorting in the UK, has increased following the introduction of the revised Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations which appear to be making it harder to send unsorted rag abroad.

Recyclers in Northamptonshire, Manchester and London, all revealed that tonnages were higher than usual for this time of year. They believe this is because less scrupulous operators, who exported unsorted material abroad, are being scared off by the more stringent controls. Rob Almond, factory Manager at Salvatex Collections Ltd in Corby, said since the introduction of the revised Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations, a lot of people have stepped back and are not buying as much rag as they were, so there is a lot more on the market.

Supply is quite high for this time of year and demand is slightly lower. the size of our current business, said William Lowe, the Chief operating and Chief financial officer of UNIFI. Unifi has suffered like other US textile company’s due to the lower cost imports. The company did not have a profitable quarter since 2003 as it has struggled amid a deep downturn in the U.S. textile industry. Unifi said that the corporate and manufacturing-support job cuts would contribute to a projected $8 million reduction in support costs in the current fiscal year.