An eye-catching display has taken over Merseyway shopping centre to encourage residents to think about how they get rid of their unwanted clothes.
In 2023/24, 16,7000 tonnes of textiles were ditched in general bins in Greater Manchester. On average each person in the UK bins 35 items of clothing every year, from socks with holes to faded t-shirts. Much of this also comes from ‘fast fashion’ with poor quality clothes sold cheaply before being quickly thrown away.
People are encouraged to donate their unwanted outfits to textile banks as they can be recycled – as part of Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM)’s#CottonOn campaign.
The installation in Stockport shows unwearable clothes covered with imperfections from stains to rips and key messages about recycling.
There are textile banks across Greater Manchester – including at all 20 of R4GM’s recycling centres – while many can also be found in supermarket carparks and large clothing stores. To find your nearest click Recycling Locator tool | Recycle Now
All clothes from RG4M textile banks are hand sorted in Greater Manchester. Clothing that can’t be re-worn is recycled into something new like animal bedding, carpet underlay and even car seats, right here in the UK.
Tom Ross, GMCA’s lead for Waste and Recycling, said: “It is great to see this eye-opening display in busy hub of Stockport where residents can learn about this issue. Throwing away clothes and shoes wastes valuable resources, especially considering the production of clothing and footwear requires significant amounts of energy, water, and raw materials.
“This is another fantastic example of what Recycle for Greater Manchester does to highlight easy changes that people can make to recycle more and help improve our environment.”
The Merseyway display will be on until October 31.
