Wet dumped clothes end up on landfill

The bags were discovered by Arun District Council at textile banks this October with no clue as to who had left them.

The wet clothing had begun to rot, so could not be recycled and had to go to landfill instead of being reused.

Items collected from clothes banks are sorted into grades. Many are of good enough quality to be reused for clothing. Items of lower grade are used as rag – for example wiper cloths for industry and shredded material as sound proofing for the car industry.

Residents and businesses in Arun are reminded to ensure any unwanted clothing they leave at Neighbourhood Recycling Centres across Arun district is dry. Any quality of clothing can be recycled.

The council says they should also be vigilant when donating garments or material to charity in the plastic bags posted through their door. Each charity has its own registered charity number so residents should check for this before filling the sack for collection to ensure the proceeds go to a good cause.

Banks can be found at 15 locations in the district. Go to www.arun.gov.uk/recycling for a list of Neighbourhood Recycling Centre locations.

Last year, 180 tonnes of textiles were recycled via the recycling banks in Arun.