Applying Waste Management in Textile Industry: Case Study an Egyptian Plant

Egypt is well-known in the world not only for its old heritage but also for its valued presence in superior quality of textiles. However, the textile industry is both energy intensive and highly polluting. The production of textiles often requires high levels of water consumption and emits large quantities of pollutants to the environment. Therefore, it is very important to minimize its impact on the environment by establishing a proper waste management system. The present study is dealing with developing a “Waste Management System” and implementing it in a real situation. The system was established as a continues improvement cycle following the international standards of environmental management “ISO14001: 2004 and ISO 19011:2002”. The waste management system started with defining waste policy by top management. The established policy focused on reducing solid waste generated in form of waste fiber. The system included: formation of a waste management team, data collection, monitoring reports and audits. An action plan with specific goals was created based on recommendations of the waste management team, and related cost savings were calculated. The main actions of the plan focused on: a) providing a new liquefaction unit to liquefy the solid wastes, and b) reduce waste generation through personnel involvement by implementing waste reduction practices. The implemented actions reflected a direct reduction in waste generation, consequently provided large cost savings. The investigation revealed that the applied waste management system is an effective tool for minimizing waste generation, reducing negative impact of textile production on the environment and enhance cost savings. Furthermore, the followed waste management system in this study can be implemented in similar industries.