EWC Code
Wastes from composite materials (impregnated textile, elastomers, plastomers)
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume (EU)
~4 Mt/year EU textile manufacturing waste (fibre, fabric, chemical)
Valorisation Range
Yarn and fabric offcuts €0.5–5/t (wipers); recycled fibre €200–600/t; dye sludge disposal €80–150/t
Primary Route
Mechanical fibre recycling and wipers market
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Get contacts for EWC 04 02 09EWC 04 02 09 is a specific sub-code under EWC 04 02 — Wastes from the textile industry. The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
EWC 04 02 covers the full range of textile manufacturing residues: raw fibre preparation waste (noils, card waste), yarn and fabric offcuts (cutting waste), dyeing and finishing process sludge, spent dye liquors, chemical auxiliary residues (bleaching agents, sizing chemicals), wastewater treatment sludge and printing paste waste. EU textile manufacturing is concentrated in Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Central European countries.
Fibre waste and fabric offcuts are the largest volume streams — typically 10–15% of raw material in garment manufacturing. Natural fibre waste (cotton, wool) is shredded and re-spun into lower-grade yarn (shoddy) or used as stuffing and insulation. Synthetic fibre waste (polyester, nylon) can be mechanically recycled to fibre or chemically recycled to monomer. Dyeing sludge is the most problematic stream — containing azo dyes, heavy metals (chrome mordants) and surfactants, it typically requires hazardous waste characterisation.
The EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles (2022) and forthcoming mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility for textiles under the Waste Framework Directive (2025+) are reshaping waste management. Separate textile collection targets and recycling mandates will increase demand for fibre-to-fibre recycling capacity. Currently <1% of textile waste is recycled to new fibres due to blended fabric complexity and quality degradation.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 04 02 09, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Single-fibre fabric offcuts shredded and re-spun to shoddy yarn for blankets, insulation and industrial wipers. Blended fabrics increasingly processed by automated fibre sorting systems (NIR) before mechanical recycling. Clean cotton and wool offcuts command €1–5/t from rag sorters.
Polyester fabric chemically depolymerised to PET monomer (glycolysis or methanolysis) for repolymerisation to virgin-quality polyester fibre. Nylon 6 chemically recycled to caprolactam. Both routes require sorted, uncontaminated feedstock — currently limited commercial scale in EU.
Mixed textile waste unsuitable for recycling used as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in cement kilns or waste-to-energy plants. Dye sludge and chemical auxiliary waste characterised as hazardous where heavy metals or persistent organics exceed thresholds; disposed at permitted hazardous waste facilities.
These are the established routes for EWC 04 02 09. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Re-processors of noils and card waste from fibre preparation stages
Insulation and wipers manufacturers use shoddy and shredded textile waste
Textile sorters and fibre recovery specialists are primary off-takers of fabric waste
Cement kilns co-process high-calorific textile waste as alternative fuel
Hazardous waste facilities manage dye sludge and chemical textile auxiliaries
Dedicated waste-stream pages covering EWC 04 02 09 — pricing, buyer industries and valorisation routes.
Sectors that valorise EWC 04 02 09 as an input material or secondary raw material.
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