05 Apr 2007 Recycle unwanted clothing and save lives

Barton Stacey Parish Council are pleased to welcome a new scheme being launched in Barton Stacey, through which re-cycling old clothes and textiles could help to save lives.

Help to get your own Air Ambulance off the ground!

A textile bank has been placed on the recycling centre in the village, adjacent to the school and just off Roberts Road. The Parish Council appeal to all residents to donate their unwanted clothes, shoes and textiles to the bright yellow air ambulance bank.

Clean clothing will be welcome, shoes should be in pairs. We also accept all household textiles including blankets, towels, duvets and pillows. Please place your donations in a large supermarket bag as quite often the large bin bags block the chutes.

Doing this will not only help the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance to raise funds, but also reduce unnecessary waste and landfill; therefore helping to improve the environment. This is one of 125 banks now sited across Hampshire.

What happens to the clothing?

Once collected from the air ambulance banks, all product is returned to a local depot where it is consolidated ready for shipment to one of our grading partners overseas or in the UK. Here each item is checked and separated by garment and material type, it is then baled and exported to used clothing importers in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Far East. The clothes and shoes are then distributed to local traders. Our ethical policy ensures that our graded product only arrives on markets where second-hand clothing is freely available to all.

Items unsuitable for reuse because they may be torn or stained will be sorted and separated by material type for recycling. Cotton and linen will be cut into industrial wipers, wool will be shredded or made into felt, or spun to make new fibres.

How you can help

Each year we throw away an estimated 1 million tonnes of textiles of which the vast majority could be reused or recycled. Every week we throw away nearly two million pairs of shoes which could be worn by someone else. Textiles make up approximately 3% of a household bin!

Please help by donating your unwanted clothing, shoes and textiles

More information

www.hampshireandiowairambulance.org.uk

Date: Thursday 05 Apr 2007

Website news from Ann Wilson, Parish Clerk

Posted on 05 Apr 2007 at 07:56 pm