a process for recycling polyester / cotton blends by reducing the polyester to a lower dialkyl ester of terephthalic acid and reducing the cotton to cellulose acetate . the novel process to recycle the polyester / cotton blends includes the steps of providing a blend of polyester and cotton fibers ; subjecting the polyester / cotton blend to a first alcoholysis in a bath containing an alcohol and an effective catalyst at a suitable temperature until the polyester is depolymerized to a lower molecular weight polyester oligomer ; remove the cotton fibers from the alcoholic solution of oligomers and process the recovered cotton fibers by pulping and acetylyzing processes to recover the cellulose acetate ; and alcoholyze the low molecular weight polyester oligomers to produce the lower dialkyl ester of terephthalic acid .