Torfaen Council says it has listened to feedback from residents and improved how it collects textiles from doorsteps.
Staff on the recent roadshow that visited three venues in Torfaen heard from residents who were unsure about how to recycle textiles along with an inconsistent service of what was collected.
Following meetings with recycling crews, a consistent approach has now been agreed and residents are asked to:
- Put textiles into any plastic bag that can be tied, apart from charity bags.
- Clearly label the bag as clothing, shoes or textiles.
- Leave out weekly with your black recycling box.
Any steps residents can take to prevent the textiles from getting wet – such as tying bags tightly or leaving them out just before collection – will help in the recycling process.
The textiles the council collects are taken to Green World Recycling in the West Midlands, where they are reused in a variety of different ways.
Bulky items like duvets, sleeping bags or cushions can’t be collected but they can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre, in New Inn.
Any items of clothing or shoes that are still in good condition can be taken to The Steelhouse Reuse Shop, next to the Household Waste Recycling Centre. Visit our website for opening times.
Councillor Mandy Owen, executive member for environment, said: “The waste changes consultation and our recent Raise the Rate survey have brought a number of things to our attention, such as a lack of public awareness about what people can and can’t recycle.
“Our new Raise the Rate campaign aims to help residents better understand and make more use of our kerbside recycling services, so our recycling rates increase in line with the Welsh Government target.
“I hope the improvements in textile collections will encourage more people to recycling clothing that cannot be given to charity, rather than throwing them away in their purple-lidded bins.”
All local authorities in Wales must recycle 70% of waste by 2024-2025. Recent recycling rates in Torfaen have been around 62%
If you leave textiles out for recycling and they are not collected please report it to the Recycling and Waste Team via [email protected], or phone 01495 762200.
