1.6 How can we recycle clothes?

1 What materials are in a pair of jeans? Write a list.

✓ Evaluation ✓ Research ✓ Refl ection

clothes label button

zip

pocket rivet thread Sample Pages

2 Why is it diffi cult to recycle clothes?

3 Read the text. Answer the questions.

• Why is it difficult to recycle textiles? • Why are skilled people needed? • What solutions are they looking at in the future? • How many old clothes are being used to make new ones?

Why are clothes so hard to recycle?

By Eunwoo Lee

Most recycled fi bres that are used for clothing come from old bottle tops, not old clothes. Why is that? Most clothes are a mix of yarns and accessories. Even a T-shirt that is 100% cotton contains threads, dyes and labels that are made from diff erent materials. Labels, zips and buttons must be separated. Th is makes the process of sorting clothing slow and diffi cult.

It needs skilled people or specialised equipment to identify the diff erent materials. Only 1% of our clothes are currently recycled into new textiles.

Scientists are experimenting with other ways to use the fi bres from clothes including using it to make glue and building materials. Th ey are also trying to make all material for clothing more sustainable.

4 Use the top tips to write a research question that will help you fi nd solutions for sorting textiles for recycling.

5 a Read the article on the worksheet. What solution to the problem have Top tips they found in Prato? How does this make Top tips for research questions their fabric sustainable? • Identify the main topic to be b Do you think this text is a reliable investigated. source of information? How could you check? • Think about what you already know about the topic. c Evaluate this source using the • Decide what you want to fi nd fl owchart on the worksheet. out and if there is a problem d What are the strengths and that needs to be resolved. limitations of this source? Justify your • Turn your interest or problem response. Suggest how useful the source into a question. would be for your research question. from old bottle a mix of y yarns contains d. Th is ult. Sample Pages

Talking point

What have you learned about or what skills have you improved relating to evaluating sources?