New ways to recycle unwanted clothes and textiles

(Date of issue: Wednesday, 16 February 2011)

Two local charities have come out in support of a new textile recycling scheme in Carlisle.

Carlisle City Council, in partnership with Cumbria Waste Recycling (CWR), has installed five new textile recycling banks at its Neighbourhood Recycling Centres within the district.

As part of the new CWR provision, the clothes and shoes will be sorted, graded and cleaned before being sold for re-use by a reputable textile recycling company. The income generated, expected to be around £4,000 a year will then be passed on to local charities.

The two chosen charities are Eden Valley Hospice and Hospice at Home. Colin Powell Head of Fundraising at Eden Valley Hospice, said:

“We are very grateful to Carlisle City Council for supporting us in this way, as a local charity, faced with raising around £7,000 a week to provide our service help of this kind is essential and I am sure the Salvation Army appreciate why help of this kind is so important to charities like Eden Valley Hospice and Hospice at Home.”

Michael Pearson, Chairman of Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland added:

“As a major local Charity we are grateful for the support offered to us by Carlisle City Council and we hope that the Salvation Army will continue to get the help which they need to continue their very important work.”

The new textile recycling banks are available at Dalston (Glave Hill car park); Brampton (Union Lane); Lower Viaduct car park; Pirelli (Dalston Road); and The Sands Centre car park.

Cllr Ray Bloxham, Portfolio holder for Local Environment, said:

“We believe that this new approach will provide much needed support to local charities. It also allows the Salvation Army to retain clothes banks within the main supermarkets recycling sites which account for 80% of the textiles collected from all the Carlisle sites.”