Scott welcomes new clothes bank service provider in Greystones
Greystones Green Party Councillor Lourda Scott has welcomed the arrival Liberty recycling service provider following repeated incidents of illegal dumping beside recycling banks in the area.
This follows continuous representations from Cllr Scott over the past year regarding issues at the clothes banks at Mill Road and the South Beach car park in Greystones, where large volumes of dumped items have caused environmental and public health concerns.
Cllr Scott said:
“I have been following up with the Council over ongoing problems of dumping at the Clothespod banks in Greystones for nearly a year now. In this time I have been constantly contacted by people complaining about the illegal dumping and over flowing bins. Not only is this unsightly, but it leads to litter spreading into the sea and attracts rodents. I have even been out cleaning the area myself, but it’s happening so frequently it’s very hard to keep on top of. I asked for increased collection frequencies and the Council also installed audio messaging at bins, reminding people not to dump. These measure helped to a degree. However I am pleased that this week the Council has confirmed that a new service provider is being introduced. Liberty Recycling has already placed new collection banks at Mill Road and the South Beach car park. I hope that these will be better maintained than the previous ones as we seem to have a huge useage of these recycling facilities in the area.”
Liberty Recycling is a social enterprise that supports people affected by drugs by providing them with work experience, stability, and the confidence needed to transition into mainstream employment. They also operate a charity shop in Bray.
Cllr Scott said the challenges with textile recycling are part of a wider national issue.
“This isn’t just happening in Wicklow. Some councils have removed textile banks altogether, while others have scaled back services.”
She noted the sector has faced major disruption over the past year.
“Conflict, shipping issues, and the rise of ultra-fast fashion have flooded the market with low-quality clothing. Despite this oversupply of clothing, at the same time export demand has dropped, and this combination has put extreme pressure on local recycling services. However, while access to a clothes bank may sometimes be difficult, people still have a responsibility to dispose of clothing appropriately and not to dump items.
Cllr Scott is urging residents to view clothes banks as a last resort and to prioritise reusing and repurposing clothes wherever possible.
“Before bringing items to a clothing bank, maybe think of other options. Can the clothes be repaired or altered to reuse? Could they be passed on to friends or family or offered through local zero waste group? Can you donate to a local charity shop? Hosting or a clothes swap, upcycling older items into cleaning cloths, or using worn fabrics for crafts are all simple ways to reduce waste. Recycling is important, but reusing extends the life of clothing and reduces pressure on the system. Every small action helps.”
Scott has previously run successful Halloween and Christmas swap shops and asks anyone that needs help setting up a clothes exchange to contact her lscott@wicklowcoco.ie
Scott concludes by urging people not to leave any items beside the clothes banks. “This is a shared community resource If the banks are full, please do not dump. We must protect these valuable services and the local environment.”
