A number of UK charities raise funds through textiles recycling e.g. Salvation Army, Oxfam and British Heart Foundation. These organisations work with local authorities (and other organisations) to promote and increase recycling via the provision of publicly accessible textiles banks.
Textiles collected via the banks are sorted in the UK. The reusable garments are sold to secondary markets typically in Eastern Europe or further afield where they are resold and reused. Any unwearable garments are sold into the ‘rag trade’ and recycled into other products eg. cleaning materials.
If the Council were to offer suitable locations for charity textile banks, the Council would receive an incentive in the form of modest fee per tonne of recycled materials.
The textile banks (and the contents) remain the property of the operator who are responsible for the monitoring and emptying of the banks as well as most issues of health, safety and hygiene. If a particular site proves to be subject to regular problems of unforeseen anti-social behaviour eg. graffiti, flytipping or other nuisance then the host can require it to be removed.
Statistics offered by SATCO (Salvation Army’s textile company) show that other local authority areas in Lincolnshire who host textile banks on their own land recycle far more textiles in this manner than South Kesteven.
There are several suitable locations on South Kesteven property which could be suitable for textiles recycling eg. Meres Leisure Centre car park in Grantham, Halfleet car park in Market Deeping, Deepings Leisure Centre, Wharf Road car park in Stamford, Bourne Leisure Centre (NB. It is not intended that the banks should occupy any existing designated parking space.
The Council resolves:
1. The Council shall seek to enter into partnership with charitable textiles recycling organisations to install at least four textiles recycling banks on Council-owned land. This will include at least one charity textile recycling bank in each of the four urban settlements (Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and the Deepings).
2. The scheme will be reviewed after six months by the Environment OSC who will make recommendations based on the merits and recycling rates of each collection bank.
Any income generated from the provision of the banks will be ring-fenced for the promotion of recycling activities.
Minutes:
Councillor Baxter proposed his motion:
A number of UK charities raise funds through textiles recycling e.g. Salvation Army, Oxfam and British Heart Foundation. These organisations work with local authorities (and other organisations) to promote and increase recycling via the provision of publicly accessible textiles banks.
Textiles collected via the banks are sorted in the UK. The reusable garments are sold to secondary markets typically in Eastern Europe or further afield where they are resold and reused. Any unwearable garments are sold into the ‘rag trade’ and recycled into other products eg. cleaning materials.
If the Council were to offer suitable locations for charity textile banks, the Council would receive an incentive in the form of modest fee per tonne of recycled materials.
The textile banks (and the contents) remain the property of the operator who are responsible for the monitoring and emptying of the banks as well as most issues of health, safety and hygiene. If a particular site proves to be subject to regular problems of unforeseen anti-social behaviour eg. graffiti, flytipping or other nuisance then the host can require it to be removed.
Statistics offered by SATCO (Salvation Army’s textile company) show that other local authority areas in Lincolnshire who host textile banks on their own land recycle far more textiles in this manner than South Kesteven.
There are several suitable locations on South Kesteven property which could be suitable for textiles recycling eg. Meres Leisure Centre car park in Grantham, Halfleet car park in Market Deeping, Deepings Leisure Centre, Wharf Road car park in Stamford, Bourne Leisure Centre (NB. It is not intended that the banks should occupy any existing designated parking space.
The Council resolves:
1. The Council shall seek to enter into partnership with charitable textiles recycling organisations to install at least four textiles recycling banks on Council-owned land. This will include at least one charity textile recycling bank in each of the four urban settlements (Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and the Deepings).
2. The scheme will be reviewed after six months by the Environment OSC who will make recommendations based on the merits and recycling rates of each collection bank.
3. Any income generated from the provision of the banks will be ring-fenced for the promotion of recycling activities.
Councillor Baxter referred to conversations that he had had with the Cabinet Member for Commercial and Operations and the consideration that had been given to the topic by the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He explained that he had brought the matter to Council, because he did not feel that the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been provided with sufficient evidence to support its considerations. Prior to the meeting, information had been circulated by Councillor Baxter which set out how the Council could generate income from accommodating textile recycling banks and an example of the level of income achieved by another Lincolnshire authority, details about the declining recycling rate within the district including the rate of contamination and the current methods through which clothing could be disposed of. The motion was seconded.
Several members who sat on the Environment Overview and Scrutiny said that they felt the topic had received a fair airing and that there were already sufficient mechanisms through which people could recycle textiles. Some scepticism was also expressed about whether the banks would generate any money for the district council. Those members that spoke did not consider that a need had been demonstrated for any additional textile recycling facility.
While several members expressed support for shipping of textiles around the world, other members expressed concern that they would ultimately be sent to landfill in other countries.
Reference was made to the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership, opportunities for disposing of textiles at the household recycling centres and a contract that saw Lincolnshire County Council selling textiles to the Salvation Army. The Cabinet Member for Commercial and Operations said that greater emphasis should be placed on re-use, which was further up the waste hierarchy than recycling. Some members contested that the term textile recycling was a misnomer, because what the scheme actually provided was a mechanism through which textiles could be re-used.
As debate continued Members referred to the tonnage of textiles that were sent to landfill each year and the impact of this on carbon emissions.
One speaker referred to informal consultation they had undertaken with the town councils, which indicated that there was no appetite for textile recycling banks in the district’s towns. This statement was contested because there was no town council for Grantham, which meant there was no mechanism for consultation, whilst members who sat on Bourne Town Council said that no item had been put to them to test their appetite.
Some Members spoke of their experience of textile recycling banks within their Wards. Their comments covered the way they were managed, their level of usage and the income that they had managed to raise.
One Member query whether there was a distinction to be made between clothes that continued to be wearable and those that were too worn for re-sale. Members were advised that any such garment received through a textile recycling bank would be re-used in a different way.
The proposer of the motion was given the opportunity to sum up and reiterated why he believed there was a need for a textile recycling facility in the district.
In accordance with Article 4.13.4 of the Constitution, more than 10 members requested a recorded vote on the motion.
(Councillors Adams, Bellamy, Broughton, Chivers, Goral, Jeal, Mrs. Kaberry-Brown, Dr. Moseley, Robins, Selby, Trotter and Woolley had left the meeting prior to the recorded vote being taken)
For: Councillors Baxter, Bisnauthsing, Clack, Dilks, Fellows, Hansen, Kelly, Knowles, Milnes, Moran, Morgan, Steptoe, Wheeler and P Wood (14)
Against: Councillors Benn, Mrs. Bosworth, Cooke, Crawford, Dawson, Dobson, Exton, Griffin, Johnson, Lee, Manterfield, Mason, Reid, Jacky Smith, Judy Smith, Stevens, A Stokes, Thomas, Trollope-Bellew, Hilary Westropp, Whittington, L Wootten and R Wootten (23)
Abstain: Councillor Kingman (1)
It was AGREED:
The Council did not support the motion submitted by Councillor Baxter
17:17 – it was proposed, seconded and agreed that the meeting should be extended by an additional 10 minutes