With sales galore having taken place over the past few months many of us will be clearing out our old clothes and gadgets to make way for new Christmas gifts and January bargains.
With approximately 1.4million tonnes of textiles needlessly being put in to rubbish bins when they could have been re-used or recycled, the council is reminding residents to use their kerbside collections or the many textile banks around the borough to clear out their unwanted items.
What do I do with them?
It is not just clothes that can be recycled; shoes, bags, belts, odd socks and lingerie can be left on top of your blue wheelie bin in on your next collection day. Just make sure you put them in a clear, secure bag to keep them together and dry and tie any pairs of shoes together. Recycling left in black rubbish bags will not be collected.
Alternatively, there are also many textile collection banks dotted around the borough, where clothing, blankets and linens can be deposited for recycling. Old tea towels, odd socks and towels are also accepted along with curtains, blankets, towels and linen.
The collection banks are located in every town in the borough. You can find your nearest one online, whether you live in Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall. Otherwise, you could take your textile recycling to the reuse and recycling centres at Greenford and Acton.
What happens to it?
The textiles collected in the banks and from your blue wheelie bin are taken away and sorted, according to their condition, into different grades. They are either then sent to be reused or recycled into different products. Items not suitable for re-use will be recycled into new materials that could be used in the automotive, furniture and housing industries.
Charitable option
Instead of recycling the clothes, you could give them a new life in a different way. There are always a number of charities that would gratefully receive your unwanted clothes and textiles. Many of them distribute the items to local people who need them.
One such charity, Acton Homeless Concern, has been chosen by the Mayor of Ealing to be her official charity this year and she is asking for donations of clothes for men, women and children living in the borough.
Acton Homeless Concern provides a caring and safe environment for people in need and those who suffer from isolation and other kinds of physical or emotional needs.
The charity would like donations of any unwanted clothes including baby and children’s clothes, blankets, shoes, coats and sleeping bags. Donations can be taken to Acton Homeless Concern at Emmaus House, 1 Berrymead Gardens, Acton, W3 8AA.
‘Every item counts’
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure, said: “We are doing everything we can to make recycling easier across the borough. Unnecessary waste is costing the council hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, money that could have otherwise been spent on other valuable services.
“We want to help you do everything possible to stop items of clothing, bedding and other household textiles from needlessly being thrown away and wasted instead of being re-used or recycled. So, please consider donating your unwanted clothes and blankets to a local charity; every item counts, and could go a long way to making someone else’s life a bit better.”
More information
Visit the recycling pages on the council’s website for more details.
