By Sarah Curran
CLOTHING bank shortages across the Ards peninsula need to be addressed, a local politician has claimed. Alderman Robert Adair is calling on Ards and North Down Council to review its policy for textile recycling, noting how overflowing clothing banks are a ‘magnet’ for fly-tipping.
The DUP alderman said he had received a number of complaints about the ‘unsightly’ overflowing clothing banks, with only two to choose from – located in Greyabbey and Portavogie.
Mr Adair recalled how there had been other council-owned clothing banks available across
the peninsula but these were removed, adding that some charities had also removed their clothing banks.
“I’m getting complaints that these are overflowing and they have had to be emptied every week now over the summer,” he said.
“What happens is you have people leaving bags around them and it is so unsightly and the bags become a magnet for illegal dumping.
“The council, a number of years ago, took away the sites in Cloughey and Ballywalter, and now you have to book to use the Household Recycling Centres and a lot of people just don’t have the time to do it.
“Charities also had sites in Ballyhalbert and other villages, but they have taken them away.”
Mr Adair noted how there had been plans by the council to have textile kerbside recycling but due to a ‘market collapse’, this was no longer being considered.
“This whole summer I have been inundated with complaints about the number of bags lying at the sites in Greyabbey Village Hall and Portavogie Anchor car park,” he said.
“When these bags lie they become a magnet for illegal dumping so I think the council need to review the provision of textile recycling in the Ards peninsula as it clearly isn’t working and if the council aren’t going to implement textile recycling at the kerbside as planned, they need to provide more recycling facilities.”
