In the dyeing and finishing industry, large quantities of water are consumed during the different processing of the raw materials. The load of the waste depends on the raw material type and it is large enough for the wool fabrics, significant for the cotton and mixed ones and small for the synthetic fabrics.

The liquid waste constitutes the main source of waste in the dyeing and finishing industry. The liquid waste includes wastewater, alkaline waste and dyes and contains large quantities of salt, acids or bases and organic load (BOD). The liquid waste quantity and quality depends on the production process and on the raw materials that an industry uses. The liquid waste contains an important number of organic toxic and dangerous substances which emanate mainly from solvents that are used in the scouring and in the equipment cleaning. The most usual organic agents are phenols, naphthalene, toluene, tri-chloro-ethylene, tetra-chloro-ethylene, ethylbenzene and dichloro-benzene. Apart from the organic components, the liquid waste constitutes of dangerous heavy metals that exist in the dyes, as components or are by-products of the process. The most usual metals are chromium, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel and mercury.

Apart from the liquid waste, small quantities of gases emissions are produced in the dyeing and finishing industry. The large variety of components that constitute the gases make their management difficult enough. The gases emissions in this industrial sector include volatile organic agents (VOC's), acid gases, steams of acids and bases, chlorine dioxide, solvents, dust and fibres, as well as dust from the colour substances and the auxiliary material.

Regarding the solid waste, in the dyeing and finishing industry, its quantity is limited and includes products that do not meet certain specifications, retails of fabrics, threads, fibers and materials from the package of the raw an auxiliary material.