Tipperary clothes banks set to be removed amid concerns over illegal dumping
The long-awaited removal of clothes banks from sites across Tipperary is set to begin this month, after sustained issues around illegal dumping at bring banks around the county.
Tipperary County Council have confirmed that clothing banks will be gradually removed from bring banks throughout the county across October.
Now, all clothing banks that are located at bottle banks in Tipperary will be removed, with them being placed at Tipperary’s five civic amenity sites in Cashel, Clonmel, Nenagh, Roscrea and Donohill, outside Tipperary town.
Services at the civic amenity sites will continue as normal, the council said, with clean dry and reusable textiles such as clothing, bed linen, towels, curtains, and paired shoes accepted.
Items not accepted include soiled textiles, duvets, pillows, and cushions, the local authority added.
The removal of clothing banks has been an ongoing issue among local councillors, with Sinn Féin councillor David Dunne previously saying that they “have to go”.
"They need to be taken out, they just have to go now at this stage,” Cllr Dunne said.
"They’re a magnet for rubbish, and there’s videos online and you can see recycling banks and there’s just rubbish strewn all over the place,” the Carrick-on-Suir councillor said.
Cahir councillor Máirín McGrath also previously said that the clothes bins were something she always had an issue with, but said that irregular collection of the items was a real problem.
"I have always had issues with clothes bins and the irregular collection of items there, and around it, so in one sense I welcome it, but I do have a little bit of concern, say for the Cahir LEA for instance, there isn’t a civic amenity centre in the Cahir area, which is something that I’ve long asked for, so that’s one issue, it’s the ability for people to get to civic amenity centres,” the Cahir councillor outlined.
Councillors were also told that Tipperary County Council “can’t sustain” the cost of continuing to operate the bring banks, with the matter “being a budgetary issue” which will come up at the end of the year as TCC plans its finances for the year ahead.
In addition to councillors’ concerns, the council itself has pointed to both financial and environmental pressures driving the decision.
Tipperary County Council said that the removal of clothes banks is being made in response to market challenges – such as falling demand for second-hand textiles – and environmental concerns, and aim to support more sustainable waste management practices.