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Technically Speaking

RECYCLE AND

RECYCLE

SOME MORE

th
64 Annual

NCH Hospital Ball
by Dave Trecker

ecycling clothes is next. Benefiting NCH Healthcare System Orthopedics
R And that’s something new.
We know about the problems with plastics. We fi ll our
Plastics and textiles have one thing in common. Both are
grocery carts with them every week, and they end up in landfi lls or, Please mark your calendar for
polymers made up of chemicals. As such, there are similar ways to
worse, polluting the oceans, some 12 million metric tons every year.
deal with them when discarded.
To address the problem, the United Nations is marshaling a Saturday, November 5, 2022
Cotton-rich garments can be shredded, slurried and their pulp
worldwide eff ort to recycle single-use plastics, and many polymer
either extruded and spun into yarn or dried and cut into sheets.
manufacturers and food companies are pitching in to help. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Polyester clothing and even plastic bottles can be similarly
Th at all makes sense. Recycling plastics we understand. But
shredded and the contaminants removed. Th e polyester can then
clothes? Why recycle clothes?
be depolymerized, purifi ed and depolymerized, melted and spun
Th e answer is, like plastic waste, textiles have a huge Honorary Chairs
into fi ber.
environmental footprint. Th e European Commission says the
If that sounds expensive, it is. Most reconstituted garments sell
average consumer throws away 24 pounds of textiles a year. Reinhold & Erika Schmieding
at a premium these days, attracting mostly the save-the-planet
Multiply that by millions of consumers.
crowd. Since the recycle process is scale dependent, higher-volume
Some 73% of textile waste is dumped in landfi lls or incinerated,
manufacture should bring down costs and broaden the market. Cocktails & Dinner • Live Auction
according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which estimates
A better bet may be to start with textiles that are sustainable to
that by 2030 the disposed material will total 134 million metric Fund-A-Need • Music & Dancing
begin with. Rayon is one of those. A cellulosic that can be made
tons.
from wood chips, rayon waste can be recycled by purifying with
Chemical & Engineering News says that translates to 1.2 billion
urea to make a carbamate that’s easily converted into a fi ber, itself
tons of carbon dioxide a year, more than the emissions from all Physician & Nurses of the Year Recognition
recyclable.
international fl ights and maritime shipping combined.
Lest this sound pie-in-the-sky, textile reuse is attracting
Not surprisingly, the fashion world is a big contributor to the
capital from around the world. Start-ups are emerging in Finland, Since the first Hospital Ball in 1958, philanthropic support
problem. Because fashion styles change every year, many clothes-
Sweden, Chile, Italy and clothing retailers like Benetton, H&M
conscious people – my daughter among them – change their from our community has had a transformational effect on the
and Marks & Spencer are providing consumer outlets. Th e
wardrobes and eventually dispose of the dresses and slacks that are quality of healthcare provided; from a small 50-bed hospital to a
opportunity is there. Less than 0.5% of textile waste is currently
out of style.
being recycled. nationally recognized 716-bed, two-hospital healthcare system.
Disposal isn’t even necessary. Simply washing the clothes
Advertisements are starting to appear. My wife just clipped ads
triggers waste. Th e journal Environmental Pollution reports, “Th e
for reconstituted shirts, sneakers and Levi’s.
number of microfi bers released from a typical 5 kg wash load
It’s not a movement, at least not yet. But it may soon be.
of polyester fabrics is over 6 million depending on the type of Ad Graciously Sponsored by:
Th e appeal is undeniable. Green garments. Clothes from trees.
detergent used.” Some 35% of micropolymers entering the ocean
Textiles from trash. All recycled. Life In Naples Magazine
are from synthetic textiles, mostly polyesters.
Dr. Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfi zer executive living in Naples.
For sponsorships and ticket information
(239) 624-2019 • nchmd.org/hospitalball
70 Life in Naples | August, September, October 2022 Life in Naples | August, September, October 2022 71