First Mile, a recycler with headquarters in north London, has launched a new plastic clothing hanger recycling programme. The goal is to reduce the number of hangers which end up in landfill.
The service will give retail businesses an easy and effective route to recycling the unwanted hangers.
First Mile estimates that millions of hangers which could be recycled remain in general waste.
Inditex UK, which owns Zara UK, has already signed up to the new programme.
The hangers will be processed by recycling partner, Endurmeta, in Deeside, Wales. There, they will be shredded and granulated in advance of being repurposed within the manufacturing sector.
According to First Mile, one tonne of recycled plastic saves two tonnes of CO2 when compared to virgin equivalent.
Commenting on the new programme, Bruce Bratley, founder and CEO of First Mile, said: “The impact of fashion on the environment has been a hot topic in recent months and we’re committed to doing what we can to make it easier for businesses to be more sustainable. It’s great that many retailers want to recycle coat hangers, with many also operating schemes where customers can bring them to be recycled.”
Ian Glassbrook, MD of Endurmeta, added: “Our ultimate goal is to stop waste reaching landfills and oceans, and to do this we must continue to find solutions to hard-to-process materials, such as coat hangers.”
Founded in 2004, First Mile serves 25,000 customers and recycles 65,000 tonnes of material each year, including plastic, glass and cardboard.