In luxury hotels, towels are one of the key components of premium service due to their softness, density, and white color. However, over time, these towels wear out, tear, or develop permanent stains, making them unsuitable for guest use. This raises the question of what happens to such discarded towels, and there are many stories about whether they can be resold.
When are towels rejected?
Towels in a hotel are rejected depending on their condition and internal policy. When after multiple washes and uses the fabric begins to wear out, becomes thin, the white color yellows, or persistent stains remain, they are deemed unfit. If a towel ceases to be as soft and absorbent, it is subject to rejection.
What happens to rejected towels?
There are several options for the further fate of these towels. Firstly, if a towel is not suitable for guests but its fabric is still intact, the hotel may use it for other purposes, such as cleaning or wiping cloths. According to an official Marriott report, old towels can be used by the same hotel for other purposes. Secondly, they can be donated to organizations in need. In some cases, they also end up on the local market for resale.
Recycling
If a towel wears out so much that it cannot be used for anything else, it is subjected to recycling. Upon arrival at a recycling plant, the fabrics are separated: elements such as tags and fabrics attached to the edges are collected separately. Then, the fibers that make up the towel are separated from each other. Next, depending on the quality of these fibers, they are used differently. If the fiber quality is high, they are mixed with other fibers to create threads. If the quality is low, they are used to produce cleaning cloths, wipes, fillers, or industrial fabrics. Thus, an old towel does not always turn into a new towel; recycling and manufacturing a new towel are different processes.
India invests billions in towel production
In addition to satisfying domestic demand, India exports large volumes of cotton towels and other household goods to many countries around the world. For terry cloth cotton towels, as well as bedding and kitchen linen, the HS code category 6302.60 is used. According to US import data, in 2025, America imported about $872 million (approximately 700 billion rupees) worth of goods in this category from India. India's share in total US imports under HS code 6302.60 was about 43.3%, while Pakistan and China accounted for 25.5% and 15.1% respectively.