A new automated textile sorting machine uses infrared sensors and artificial intelligence to separate old clothing with blasts of air, according to French broadcaster TF1.
Each garment passes beneath an infrared sensor before being routed into one of fifteen different collection bins depending on its material composition and colour. The system is designed to address the persistent problem of tonnes of low-quality garments donated to charitable organisations.
By categorising items with precision, the equipment enables old clothing, including worn t-shirts, to be transformed into fresh, reusable textile raw material. The French television network reported that nobody had previously been able to sort low-grade garments in this way for industrial recycling.
Infrared scanning and automated air jets
Optical sorting systems rely on infrared spectroscopy to determine the chemical makeup of textiles within milliseconds. As garments move rapidly along an automated conveyor line, the infrared sensor measures how the fabric absorbs and reflects light, allowing artificial intelligence algorithms to recognise cotton, polyester, wool and mixed synthetic blends.
Sorting by colour alongside fabric composition is equally critical for recyclers. Processing garments into colour-matched groups eliminates the need for aggressive chemical bleaching and re-dyeing when the recovered fibers are spun into fresh thread.
Once the sensor and software classify an item, a series of pneumatic valves deliver a targeted blast of compressed air. This puff of air lifts and diverts the garment off the conveyor and deposits it into the correct bin without requiring mechanical arms or manual handling.
Challenges in charity clothing waste
Charities and recycling groups across Europe have faced mounting pressure from an influx of discarded garments. While collection banks were originally created to gather wearable second-hand clothing for resale, the rise of cheap fast fashion has resulted in millions of tonnes of damaged or poorly made garments that charities cannot sell.
Recycling facilities require pure, single-material batches to turn discarded cloth into new garments. Manual sorting by human workers is slow, labour-intensive and often unreliable, especially when clothing labels are missing, faded or inaccurate about fiber ratios.
Machines that can automatically separate textiles into fifteen distinct streams provide the reliable feedstocks needed for mechanical shredding and fiber spinning. Transforming old shirts into reusable industrial yarn keeps discarded clothing out of landfills and reduces the environmental footprint of virgin textile manufacturing.
