RESIDENTS across Barrow are being urged to hold onto unwanted clothing until it can be recycled or reused after the Covid-19 lockdown.
Many people have used time at home to undertake a spring clean - including sorting out clothing they no longer want or need.
However, it has resulted in bags of textiles being mistakenly placed in household recycling boxes for collection.
Clothing and textiles are not items currently collected by the borough council’s streetcare teams.
It means a number of recycling boxes have not been emptied.
Councillor Steve Robson, Barrow Borough Council spokesperson for the environment, said: “Lots of us have used the additional time at home during the lockdown to sort out drawers, wardrobes and cupboards, clearing out items we don’t want any more.
“At the moment, there isn’t anywhere for this type of recycling to go.
“We know it’s difficult to store bags of clothing like this, but we would urge people to find a way to keep it until it can be recycled properly when the lockdown is over, trips to the recycling bank are possible once more and charity shops reopen.
“Clothing isn’t something our teams collect with the recycling. Adding bags of clothing to your kerbside recycling box means it can’t be emptied - a situation we want to avoid.”
While unwanted clothing can, if necessary, be placed in the household waste bin, this means it will be headed to landfill.
If it can be stored while the current Covid-19 lockdown rules are in place, it could instead be taken to a clothing bank at a later date - an option that is more environmentally friendly.
Cllr Robson added: “With many more people at home and children off school, we appreciate space is often at a premium, particularly for families.
“But as we are unable to collect bags of clothing with kerbside recycling, please do hold onto them so they can be recycled or reused in the right way when this becomes possible.”