Clothes Recycling Helping the Borough and Beyond

Date published: 25/08/2004

The efforts of local people to recycle old clothes, shoes, hats and other textiles in Rochdale borough have helped to keep hundreds of thousands of items out of landfill, and provided a valuable service to the community.

The Salvation Army's textile recycling scheme has clothing banks at eight locations in the borough. Rochdale Council works in partnership with the Salvation Army to collect these items, many of which are used locally and some of which are taken to a national sorting centre in Wellingborough.

Items that are still wearable are passed to hostels in the UK or sold in Salvation Army's shops. Some may also be sent to projects abroad.

Where items cannot be worn again, they are recycled for use as mattress fillings, furniture padding or even sound absorbency panels! Wool is 'pulled, respun and tuned into new garments and blankets. Cotton can be used as wiper cloths in industry.

Sarah Durdin, Rochdale Council's Waste Minimisation Manager said, "The Salvation Army's clothes bins are a valuable way of reducing how much we throw away, as well as helping people locally and elsewhere. We should all think about the many different ways we can recycle unwanted items."

Salvation Army textile banks can be found at:

• Aldi Supermarket car park, Edinburgh Way, Rochdale
• Late Shop car park, Harehill Road, Littleborough
• Elizabethan Way lay-by, Milnrow
• Littleborough Cricket Club, off Calderbrook Road, Littleborough
• Milnrow Cricket Club, Harbour Lane, Milnrow
• Morley Street car park, Rochdale
• Smithybridge Station, Littleborough
• Town Hall car park, Rochdale