Panipat emerges as hub for recycling industry

Mukesh Tandon

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Panipat, April 16

Panipat — globally known as ‘Handloom City’ — has become a hub for recycling industry, resulting in the production of yarn out of discarded clothes.

The industry uses discarded clothes and after recycling it, the yarn so produced is sold in domestic and international markets. 

Rags, including cotton, woollen and hosiery, from countries such as Germany, Spain, Belgium, the UK, France, Netherland and Turkey are imported at cheaper rates and after recycling it is converted into yarn which is further used in making blankets, shawls, curtains, bath mats, foot mats, bed sheets, bed covers, carpets and other handloom products. The finished products are then sold in domestic market as well as exported to global markets.

Pritam Singh Sachdeva, former chairman of Haryana Chamber of Commerce, Panipat chapter, and president, Northern India Roller Spinners’ Association, told The Tribune that Panipat recycling industry has a turnover of around Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000 crore from exports. He said 80% of their business is based on recycled yarn.

Over 200 tonnes of rag is recycled in Panipat daily to make open-end spinning yarn. Open-end spinning is a technology of creating yarn without using a spindle. It results in a turnover of around Rs 4,000 crore per annum while shoddy yarn, manufactured by recycling discarded woollen clothes, brings business to the tune of around Rs 2,000 crore per annum.

Panipat has around 60 big recycling units of open-end spinning yarns. It is used in making bathmats, curtains, carpets, bed sheets/bed covers, daris and jute products whereas shoddy yarn is used for making blankets, tweed, military blankets and acrylic blankets.

“We also produce coloured yarn which helps in saving on dyeing expenses, reducing the cost of end product. This also helps exporters to compete at the global level,” he said.

“I started business with only three imported machines around 15 years ago. Now, I have more than 550 machines installed at various units," Sachdeva added.

Manish Grover, owner of Dream Collection Exports, said: “Over 400 industrial units recycle discarded clothes in Panipat. Approximately 8 lakh kg of rag is recycled in Panipat on a daily basis.”

The shoddy yarn is sold in Amritsar and Ludhiana market for manufacturing woollens and blankets.

Bheem Rana, president, Panipat Dyers’ Association, said, “Panipat industry is totally based on recycling industry. Woollen yarn is made only in Panipat and supplied across the country. Plastic water bottles are also recycled to make polyester yarn.”