Clothes banks overflowing due to 'rogue' operators

A crackdown on clothes recycling banks owned by "rogue" operators has been launched after reports of overflowing bins.

Bradford Council heard that the unregulated drop-off points were harming legitimate charities and that the donated garments were often abandoned or not collected regularly.

Councillor Ralph Berry said the textile bins were a "scourge that needs to be addressed".

In response, the authority said registered rag merchants were able to place recycling points in approved locations, but that the number of unregulated bins had become a "blight".

Berry told the council meeting on Tuesday: "The challenge of overflowing, abandoned, and poorly sited clothes recycling containers has become a real issue.

"Can we ensure that these are properly managed and that donations go to legitimate organisations that genuinely upcycle and recycle textiles?"

Alex Ross-Shaw, executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, acknowledged the concerns and outlined the current measures to regulate clothing banks.

"We only allow registered textile recycling companies to place clothing banks in a small number of council-owned car parks, and only with permission," he said.

"The weights for the textiles collected are passed on to us and counted in our official recycling data."

However, he also warned that illegal and unregulated textile banks continued to be a major issue.

"Rogue trade textile banks, of which there are many, not only blight the landscape but also damage the reputation of legitimate recycling efforts," he said.

"Officers conduct regular enforcement actions to address this issue, and these efforts will continue moving forward."

Ross-Shaw said a previous crackdown had seen over 100 overflowing bins removed. "Obviously, over time it comes back so I'll certainly speak to the team about what more we can do just to raise awareness," he added.

Bradford is among several local authorities trying to streamline and better regulate efforts to improve textile recycling.

Kirklees Council has launched a new trial encouraging residents to donate old clothes and fabric. The initiative aims to raise money for charity and promote sustainable recycling practices, potentially even creating new clothing items.

However concerns have also previously been raised about criminals placing fake charity bins in an attempt to profit from donations, diverting funds away from legitimate organisations.

The government has even commissioned a dedicated report on bogus charity clothing collectors and the Textile Recycling Association calling for more to be done to regulate recycling bank operators.

At the same time, disappearing clothing banks have also previously caused concerns, with charities claiming to have lost out after hundreds of the bins were removed from car parks.

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