Over 200,000 tonnes of textiles end up in Australian landfills.

A team at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia have found a way to lower this number. David Law, Chamila Gunasekara, Shadi Houshyar, Sujeeva Setunge and Nayanatara Ruppegoda Gamage are all part of the team that used old textiles as a material in concrete to help reduce cracks and boost the durability of it.

These fabrics aren’t easy to recycle and often end up in landfills. The scientists have worked out that textiles make a great addition to concrete. This is because the stretchiness of textiles helps the concrete form less cracks. The improved concrete has 30% fewer initial cracks and is more durable. Gunasekara says that this is because “Fibres are distributed almost evenly throughout the cement matrix. Then, when a crack is initiated, fibres will go around the crack, [and] absorb the stress in the cement matrix.”

For pre-processing, the team cuts the textiles into twelve-millimetre pieces (which they recognise as the best length) using a machine. The team also thought about using other textiles. They got some carpet fluff from companies with excess carpet fluff. This came with the same reaction that the clothes did. In fact, the team has tested a variety of frequently used synthetic fibres in clothes, like polyester, nylon, and polypropylene.

Dr Shadi Houshyar, a textile and material scientist at RMIT says “Up to 70% of textile waste would be suitable for conversion into usable fibres, presenting an opportunity in the materials supply chain.” The team started with small concrete samples but is now looking at getting bigger pieces of concrete for footpaths around fifty to a hundred metres long.

They also got it to work with old fire-fighting and military uniforms which are “almost 100% non-recyclable.” This big discovery could change the world as it stops tonnes of textiles from going to the landfill and makes less repair needs.