01622 664427

sales@1stcoverall.co.uk

Recycling

PPE & Workwear Recycling

Zero-to-Landfill PPE & Workwear Recycling Solution

At 1STCOVERALL, sustainability isn’t just a commitment — it’s the future we’re building. That’s why we offer a comprehensive PPE and textile recycling solution, designed to support circular practices from the ground up.

In partnership with one of the UK’s leading recycling providers, we deliver a proven, closed-loop scheme that helps reduce waste, protect your brand, and achieve your sustainability targets. By transforming end-of-life garments and protective equipment into renewed resources, we help your business move confidently toward a zero-waste future — with nothing going to landfill.

🧤 Accepted PPE & Workwear for Recycling

Our service handles a wide range of end-of-life workwear and PPE for safe, sustainable disposal and maximum material recovery, including:

  • High-visibility clothing
  • Standard workwear and uniforms
  • Waterproof and weatherproof garments
  • Protective gloves
  • Helmets and head protection
  • Safety eyewear
  • Protective footwear (boots, shoes)
  • Hearing protection (ear defenders, plugs)

By diverting these items from landfill, we help your organisation meet environmental and CSR objectives while supporting a circular economy.

🚛 Setup & Collection Process

We tailor collection to your operational needs — whether for a single site or a multi-location business — ensuring secure, compliant, and traceable handling from start to finish.

What We Provide:

  • Container options: 1100L, 360L, 240L lockable bins and 10–15kg secure sacks, clearly labelled for ease and safety.
  • On-site setup: Containers placed at your premises for accumulation of used PPE and workwear.
  • Scheduled collections: Weekly, monthly, or as required.
  • On-demand service: One-off or ad hoc pickups for project-specific or urgent needs.
  • Secure transport: All collections are fully traceable and handled by vetted, compliant personnel.

🏭 Sorting & Shredding

At our secure processing facility, materials are sorted, debranded, and shredded with full chain-of-custody controls.

Process Highlights:

  • Material sorting: Items are categorised into plastics, footwear, and garments for optimal downstream processing.
  • Mechanical shredding: Garments are shredded into 15mm fibres, removing all branding to safeguard your company’s identity.
  • Waste Processed Fibre (WPF): The shredded output becomes a base material for reuse or energy recovery.

3-C Sorting: Colour, Composition, Contamination

We use a refined 3-C sorting system to determine the best reuse or recovery path for each item:

  • Colour: Light and dark fabrics are separated to optimise fibre blending.
  • Composition: Natural fibres (cotton, wool) go to bedding and upholstery; synthetic blends (e.g. polyester) are ideal for insulation and industrial uses.
  • Contamination: Clean, low-contamination items are prioritised for high-value reuse. Heavily soiled PPE is directed to energy recovery.

This method increases recovery efficiency and supports our zero-landfill promise.

🔄 What Happens Next: Zero-Waste Outcomes

A New Purpose for Every Fibre

Each recovered item is assessed and transformed based on fibre type and market demand, ensuring maximum reuse and environmental value.

Common Applications:

  • Industrial insulation: For use in vehicles, washing machines, and building systems.
  • Bedding & furniture: Reused as mattress insulator pads and upholstery fillings.
  • Construction materials: Converted into green roof substrates to support vegetation and manage rainwater.
  • Specialist uses: Repurposed into weed control mats, hanging basket liners, and similar niche products.

🔥 Energy Recovery (SRF)

When items are too contaminated or uneconomical to recycle, they are processed into Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) — a low-emission energy source used in industrial facilities such as cement kilns.

This ensures 100% diversion from landfill, even for difficult materials, while still extracting value.

🧾 Full Traceability & Reporting

Fully Tracked. Securely Processed. Responsibly Recycled.

Every item you recycle is tracked from collection to processing, providing a transparent, auditable trail for CSR and environmental reporting.

  • Certificates of Destruction provided
  • Detailed recycling reports issued
  • Mechanical shredding to 15mm for complete brand and data protection

We help your business meet reporting standards, protect your brand, and contribute to a genuinely circular model of sustainable resource use.

 

 

 

 

 

Zero-to-Landfill PPE & Workwear Recycling Solution

At 1STCOVERALL, sustainability isn’t just a commitment — it’s the future we’re building. That’s why we offer a comprehensive PPE and textile recycling solution, designed to support circular practices from the ground up.

In partnership with one of the UK’s leading recycling providers, we deliver a proven, closed-loop scheme that helps reduce waste, protect your brand, and achieve your sustainability targets. By transforming end-of-life garments and protective equipment into renewed resources, we help your business move confidently toward a zero-waste future — with nothing going to landfill.

🧤 Accepted PPE & Workwear for Recycling

Our service handles a wide range of end-of-life workwear and PPE for safe, sustainable disposal and maximum material recovery, including:

  • High-visibility clothing
  • Standard workwear and uniforms
  • Waterproof and weatherproof garments
  • Protective gloves
  • Helmets and head protection
  • Safety eyewear
  • Protective footwear (boots, shoes)
  • Hearing protection (ear defenders, plugs)

By diverting these items from landfill, we help your organisation meet environmental and CSR objectives while supporting a circular economy.

🚛 Setup & Collection Process

We tailor collection to your operational needs — whether for a single site or a multi-location business — ensuring secure, compliant, and traceable handling from start to finish.

What We Provide:

  • Container options: 1100L, 360L, 240L lockable bins and 10–15kg secure sacks, clearly labelled for ease and safety.
  • On-site setup: Containers placed at your premises for accumulation of used PPE and workwear.
  • Scheduled collections: Weekly, monthly, or as required.
  • On-demand service: One-off or ad hoc pickups for project-specific or urgent needs.
  • Secure transport: All collections are fully traceable and handled by vetted, compliant personnel.

🏭 Sorting & Shredding

At our secure processing facility, materials are sorted, debranded, and shredded with full chain-of-custody controls.

Process Highlights:

  • Material sorting: Items are categorised into plastics, footwear, and garments for optimal downstream processing.
  • Mechanical shredding: Garments are shredded into 15mm fibres, removing all branding to safeguard your company’s identity.
  • Waste Processed Fibre (WPF): The shredded output becomes a base material for reuse or energy recovery.

3-C Sorting: Colour, Composition, Contamination

We use a refined 3-C sorting system to determine the best reuse or recovery path for each item:

  • Colour: Light and dark fabrics are separated to optimise fibre blending.
  • Composition: Natural fibres (cotton, wool) go to bedding and upholstery; synthetic blends (e.g. polyester) are ideal for insulation and industrial uses.
  • Contamination: Clean, low-contamination items are prioritised for high-value reuse. Heavily soiled PPE is directed to energy recovery.

This method increases recovery efficiency and supports our zero-landfill promise.

🔄 What Happens Next: Zero-Waste Outcomes

A New Purpose for Every Fibre

Each recovered item is assessed and transformed based on fibre type and market demand, ensuring maximum reuse and environmental value.

Common Applications:

  • Industrial insulation: For use in vehicles, washing machines, and building systems.
  • Bedding & furniture: Reused as mattress insulator pads and upholstery fillings.
  • Construction materials: Converted into green roof substrates to support vegetation and manage rainwater.
  • Specialist uses: Repurposed into weed control mats, hanging basket liners, and similar niche products.

🔥 Energy Recovery (SRF)

When items are too contaminated or uneconomical to recycle, they are processed into Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) — a low-emission energy source used in industrial facilities such as cement kilns.

This ensures 100% diversion from landfill, even for difficult materials, while still extracting value.

🧾 Full Traceability & Reporting

Fully Tracked. Securely Processed. Responsibly Recycled.

Every item you recycle is tracked from collection to processing, providing a transparent, auditable trail for CSR and environmental reporting.

  • Certificates of Destruction provided
  • Detailed recycling reports issued
  • Mechanical shredding to 15mm for complete brand and data protection

We help your business meet reporting standards, protect your brand, and contribute to a genuinely circular model of sustainable resource use.