4 Automation Trends in Waste Textile Sorting

Global textile waste is growing rapidly, with only 20% currently recycled—manual sorting, slow and error-prone, can’t keep up. As demand for high-value textile recycling rises, automation is key. DATABEYOND, a leader in AI sorting, outlines four critical trends reshaping the industry, paired with a targeted solution designed to align with core sorting needs.

1. Automated Bulk Sorting of Whole Garments (Multi-Category Sorting Lines)

The first trend focuses on streamlining initial sorting: automated bulk classification of intact garments by style. This step eliminates bottlenecks caused by manual pre-sorting, where workers struggle to handle large volumes of mixed clothing.

Automated multi-category lines (separate from specialized optical sorters) sort whole garments into broad style groups, including:

· Shirts, T-shirts, and children’s clothing

· Trousers, shorts, and outerwear (thick and thin)

· Sweaters

· Miscellaneous items (underwear, scarves, etc.)

This bulk sorting cuts pre-processing time significantly, laying the groundwork for more detailed sorting in the next stage.

2. Fine-Grained Sorting at Garment Workstations (Future Human-Robot Collaboration with DATABEYOND)

Building on the bulk-sorted style groups, the second trend focuses on fine-grained sorting at dedicated workstations—a process that refines broad categories into market-ready sub-groups.

Here’s how it works today: After bulk sorting, items from a single style group (e.g., all T-shirts) are routed to a dedicated workstation. Workers then split these into precise sub-categories based on market needs:

· Gender (men’s vs. women’s styles)

· Color shade (dark vs. light tones)

· Material type (100% cotton vs. polyester blends)

· Quality grade (grade A for premium resale vs. grade B for recycling)

Looking ahead, DATABEYOND plans to enhance this workflow with embodied intelligent robots that collaborate with human workers. These robots will take over repetitive fine-sorting tasks (such as separating light and dark T-shirts), while humans focus on nuanced quality checks (like identifying minor defects in grade A garments). This collaborative model will reduce labor intensity, lower costs, and improve sorting consistency—turning today’s manual-focused stations into efficient, tech-enabled workflows.

3. Automated High-Purity Extraction from Non-Recyclable Textiles

The third trend unlocks value from non-recyclable textiles—the 30–40% of garments deemed unfit for resale (after selecting items for secondhand markets in Africa, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia). Historically sold cheaply ($28–$35/ton) as fuel for power plants or cement factories, these textiles are a wasted resource.

Automated optical sorters change this by recovering high-purity materials from non-recyclable textiles, such as:

· Polyester (≥90% content)

· Nylon (≥80% content)

· High-purity spandex

These materials are then sold to recyclers using physical (reactor solid-phase viscosity increasing), chemical, or bio-enzymatic processes—turning low-value waste into high-demand feedstock.

DATABEYOND’s modular non-recyclable textile sorting line supports this trend with:

· Throughput: 1–1.5 tons/hour (depending on feeding efficiency)

· Sorting output: Garments with >90% cotton, ≥90% polyester, and residual waste (each routed to separate balers)

· Auto-weighing bins: Triggered to discharge at 200kg for seamless baling

· Compact footprint: 26m (L) ×13m (W) ×6m (H)

4. Automated Sorting for Pre-Consumer Scraps & Shredded Garments

The fourth trend targets pre-consumer waste (garment factory offcuts) and shredded post-consumer garments. These fragmented materials need pre-processing first: tangled offcuts are cut with fabric shears, then loosened by shredders to ensure uniform feeding into sorting equipment.

The goal? Sort by material and color to isolate high-purity components like polyester, nylon, cotton, and wool. Note: Many European brands avoid fibers from pre-consumer scraps, making precise sorting critical for market fit. Sorters can be adjusted to match specific client material needs.

Why Automation Matters

As regulations tighten and brands seek recycled content, textile recyclers need solutions that balance scale and precision. FASTSORT-TEXTILE turns trends into results: higher recovery rates, lower costs, and access to premium markets.

Ready to upgrade your waste textile sorting? Contact DATABEYOND to learn how FASTSORT-TEXTILE fits your operation.