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DIVERT FROM EARTH POWERED BY AVENA

DIVERT FROM EARTH POWERED BY AVENA

4 minute read

Improving how businesses recycle workwear and PPE at scale.

SMI’s enhanced Divert from Earth service helps businesses manage textile, workwear, and PPE recycling more efficiently.

The service offers scalable collection solutions, improved operational flexibility, and enhanced sustainability reporting, delivered in partnership with our recycling partner Avena.

Designed for organisations of all sizes, Divert from Earth supports:

Smaller sites
Larger multi-site operations
One-off project requirements

With permanent on-site bin solutions, dedicated recycling sacks, and fully managed collections, businesses can simplify textile recycling, reduce landfill waste, and support wider ESG and sustainability goals.

FLEXIBLE TEXTILE AND PPE RECYCLING SOLUTIONS

No two businesses manage workwear and PPE waste in the same way.

Divert from Earth, powered by Avena, offers flexible collection options designed to suit different site sizes, recycling volumes, and operational needs.

This includes:

Recycling boxes for lower-volume collections
Fully managed collections arranged through the SMI team
Dedicated recycling sacks for simple segregation and collection
Larger on-site bins (240L, 660L, and 1,100L options) for higher-volume sites

We typically onboard new recycling solutions within around 10 working days, helping businesses move quickly from request to full on-site setup.

This makes it easier to respond to changing operational needs, new contracts, or increased recycling demand.

ON-SITE BINS AND RECYCLING SACKS

The service uses a simple on-site system designed to reduce handling and improve efficiency.

For bin-based collections:

The bin remains permanently on site
Dedicated recycling sacks are used to collect textiles and PPE
Only filled sacks are removed during each collection
Replacement sacks are provided at every service

This approach helps reduce disruption, simplify day-to-day management, and keep textile and PPE recycling running smoothly across busy sites.

BUILT FOR SCALABILITY

As businesses grow, their workwear and PPE recycling needs become more complex.

Divert from Earth is designed to scale with your organisation, supporting everything from single-site operations through to large, multi-site businesses.

The service helps improve consistency and efficiency across locations by:

Reduced handling and on-site disruption
Simplified waste management as operations expand
Increased collection capacity for higher-volume sites
Consistent recycling processes across multiple locations
Support for a more consistent, zero-to-landfill approach where possible

By combining flexible collection options with a managed service approach, businesses can keep textile and PPE recycling straightforward as operations expand.

SUPPORTING SHORT-TERM PROJECTS AND CONTRACT CHANGEOVERS

Divert from Earth can also support time-limited recycling requirements alongside ongoing collections.

This includes:

Site closures
Contract demobilisations
One-off PPE and workwear clearances

This makes it suitable for planned projects where large volumes of textiles need to be processed in a controlled and compliant way.

ESG REPORTING AND SUSTAINABILITY VISIBILITY

Divert From Earth helps businesses better understand and evidence their textile and PPE recycling activity.

The service provides reporting and supporting documentation to help track performance across your organisation, including:

Proof of collection
Certificates of destruction
Total collections completed
Annual Waste Transfer Notes
Collection and transport activity
Estimated landfill diversion impact
Estimated textile volumes collected
Number of recycling sacks processed
Emissions modelling aligned with recognised GHG Protocol principles

This supports ESG reporting, sustainability targets, waste compliance, and wider circular economy initiatives.

TRUSTED RECYCLING PARTNER

The scheme is delivered through SMI’s established recycling network to ensure textiles, workwear, and PPE are processed responsibly.

We work in partnership with Avena to support the collection, sorting, and processing of materials through controlled recycling and recovery routes.

Their facilities operate to recognised industry standards, including:

ISO 9001
ISO 45001
ISO 14001
SafeContractor approval

These accreditations support safe, compliant, and responsible processing across the recycling journey.

After shredding, textile fibres are repurposed where possible, depending on material type and quality.

This can include:

Industrial fibres
Partition materials
Insulation products
Soundproofing boards

In some cases, higher-grade textiles may also be recycled into new yarns or fabrics through textile-to-textile recycling processes.

Where materials cannot be recycled further, they are directed to approved recovery routes, including refuse-derived fuel (RDF), where energy is recovered and fed into the grid.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR EXISTING CUSTOMERS

For existing customers, the service continues to operate as normal.

The key improvements sit behind the scenes, including:

Improved reporting and ESG visibility
Increased collection capacity options
More flexible box and bin-based solutions
Enhanced recycling infrastructure through our partner network

Existing collections and service arrangements will continue, with the option to transition to expanded bin-based solutions where higher capacity or improved efficiency is required.