Islanders are being thanked for supporting a recent #TacklingTextilesTogether campaign.
The Isle of Wight Council, in partnership with our waste service provider, launched the scheme on 30th August.
Over last month (September), a terrific 1.34 tonnes of textiles have been collected from residents. This is compared to 0.7 tonnes in the same period last year. That’s about the same weight as a 4-berth caravan!
Lucioni: A brilliant effort by our residents
Cabinet Member for Community Protection, Regulatory Services and Waste, Cllr Karen Lucioni, said,
“What a brilliant effort by our residents in truly joining us in tackling textile waste. I’d also like to thank the collection crews for supporting this.
“These figures are great news. It shows that Islanders really want to play their part and help tackle textile waste and we are already seeing the benefits.”
Dix: It’s great to see people joining us in our journey
Natasha Dix, the Isle of Wight Council’s Strategic Manager for Environment, said,
“With WRAP’s national Recycling Week in full swing, it’s great timing that textile recycling figures for last month show such a rise to the same time last year. We know our residents are up to the challenge of tackling textile waste and they are already proving it.
“This scheme is part of our wider aim of reducing waste and encouraging re-use and recycling. We will always need the public’s help in moving to the goal of zero non-essential waste to landfill and it’s great to see people joining us in our journey.”
Top tips
If you haven’t joined the residents already taking part – it couldn’t be any easier:
The service is easy to use:
- On your recycling collection week, place unwanted textiles or clothes separately in a standard plastic shopping bag or a clear or white sack. This is so the collection crew can see it is only textiles in the bag.
- Leave the bag to the side of your recycling bin or green gull sack.
- The crew will then place the textiles in a separate collection pod on the vehicle.
- The textiles are sent away to be re-used or recycled into new products such as mattress fillings.
Keep out of landfill
Textiles in the household waste bin can cause problems at Forest Park waste treatment site. This is because textiles get wrapped around and jammed in the sorting machinery.
Householders can also put out cushion covers, duvet covers, pillowcases and curtains out for recycling.
The crew cannot take bulky items such as duvets, rugs, pillows or cushions. If they do not fit in your general waste bin or sack, these should be taken to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
