When you hear the word ‘recycling’, clothing probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
We hear so much about plastics, metals, papers and glass that these things probably spring to mind first.
Recycle clothes at the kerbside
But did you know that clothes and shoes can be recycled at the kerbside in Wrexham? Well they can 🙂
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You can put clothes and shoes (shoes must be in pairs) in clear plastic bags – so our recycling team can see what’s in them – and if you leave these next to your other recycling, our team will take them away to be recycled.
However, larger textile items such as bedding and curtains should be taken to any of our three recycling centres, where you can also still take your clothes and shoes.
You can recycle plenty of other materials at our recycling centres too. Our recycling centres are at:
Bryn Lane, Wrexham Industrial Estate
Wynnstay Bank, Plas Madoc
The Lodge, Brymbo
300,000 tonnes
The Government’s Environment Audit Committee recently published the report ‘Fixing Fashion’ which highlighted some concerning figures around clothing being disposed of in the UK.
Around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste (which includes clothing) is put into household black bins each year, which is either sent to landfill or incinerated.
Our own figures show that in Wrexham, between April 2018 and March 2019, we found 6,281 tonnes of textile waste in our bin collections.
These national and local figures are equally troubling and they show there’s a lot of room for improvement, because there are much better options for your old clothes than putting them in your black bin.
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Textile recycling is an area we need to get much better at in Wrexham, specifically regarding clothes and shoes.
“If you put clothes and shoes in clear plastic bags and leave them next to your other recycling on your collection day, we’ll recycle them for you…you don’t need to fill your black bin with these items.
“Before going straight to your black bin, stop and ask yourself “can I recycle this?”… because a lot of the time you’ll be able to recycle it, and this positive approach will help us get better at recycling in Wrexham.”
Change is needed
The Fixing Fashion report shows that the way we make, use and throw our clothes away is unsustainable.
With textile production contributing significantly to climate change and synthetic fibres causing problems in our oceans, change is needed.
And it’s up to all of us to make that change.
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