Posted on: Friday 2 June 2023
Improvements have been made to Torfaen Council's textile recycling collection service, following feedback from residents.
The waste changes consultation and public roadshows carried out last month highlighted residents' uncertainty about what and how to put textiles out for recycling, as well as inconsistencies in 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 getting wet - such as tying bags tightly or leaving them out just before collection - will help in the recycling process.
The textiles we collect are taken to Green World Recycling in the West Midlands, where they are reused in a variety of different ways.
Unfortunately, we cannot take bulky items like duvets, sleeping bags or cushions 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 pr cent of waste by 2024-2025. Recent recycling rates in Torfaen have been around 62 per cent.
If you leave textiles out for recycling and they are not collected please report it to the Recycling and Waste Team via waste@torfaen.gov.uk, or phone 01495 762200, so we can continue to improve the service.
For more information about Torfaen's kerbside recycling service, visit our website.