Isa Lea Group are one of the Few Privately — owned laundries left in the country. Founded in September 1932 as Isa Lea Ltd, it was originally opened to provide a laundry service to the Nottingham gentry. In August 1979 the owners of Isa lea Ltd decided to provide a cleaning service for the staff of companies within the Nottingham area. This led to the formation of The Isa-Lea Group, which soon expanded into full Workwear rental.

At Isa Lea Ltd, we take recycling of old garments very seriously. All retired garments are recycled and proof of destruction can be provided for your business.

Anything with a natural fibre content is easier to recycle. End uses such as mattress insulator pads and upholstery fillings need to be inherently fire retardant (wool) or fibres that are absorbent that can be treated with fire inhibitors (cotton/polycotton). Fibres with a high Polyester content are best suited to industrial applications like self supporting insulation in the automotive industry as blends with a higher Polyester content retain shape when heat is applied.

The end use of the fibre is often dictated by the amount and type of contamination on the garment. For example fibre used in mattress insulator pads or upholstery fillings must be clean with no residual smell which rules out most garments that have been used in catering, industry, or construction so clothing from the airline and banking industries is best, that said some clothing from retailers and facilities maintenance, cleaning and healthcare are also used. Items with heavier levels of contamination often also have the highest man-made fibre content as they are designed to be hard wearing and robust, this may include items from the engineering and construction industries and other industrial uses.

Fibre with a high natural fibre content is mostly used in the UK whereas fibre with a higher Polyester content generally goes to industrial users on the continent. Demand for fibre is seasonal, for example in late winter we supply fibre to an end user who manufactures hanging basket liners and weed control mats for gardens and landscaping, but that market will come to an end probably in late April or early May and we won't supply them again until the following January. Demand for mattresses and upholstery products is highest in Autumn (in the run up to Christmas) so most of our higher fibre grades will be going into upholstery fillings and mattress insulator pads (the pad between the springs and the outer cover).