Top recycling tips for West Sussex householders

Last year alone it cost West Sussex tax payers £1.7 million to dispose of textiles binned by their owners.

That’s a staggering 11,000 tonnes of unwanted clothes, towels, blankets or sheets thrown in with the general rubbish.

Just over 7,000 tonnes of textiles were thrown into rubbish bins at home and nearly 4,000 tonnes into the general household waste containers at Household Waste Recycling Sites, even though most of these textiles could have been repaired, reused or recycled.

The West Sussex Waste Partnership has to pay to dispose of your textiles - and that money comes from your council tax.

But it’s not just the cost of sending textiles to waste which is an issue, non-biodegradable textiles, such as polyester and nylon can take between 20 and 200 years to fully biodegrade which is not good for the environment.

So this year, the West Sussex Waste Partnership will be helping you to think before you throw and follow these simple steps to prevent your textiles going to waste.

If you want to find out more about Tackling Textiles, read on for some advice on how to repair, reuse, or recycle your clothes and materials…

Go from repair zero to repair hero

You don’t have to be an expert with a needle and thread, but learning how to sew on a button, sewing up a seam or hemming some trousers are useful skills, which could save a trusty wardrobe staple and give it a new lease of life.

If you’re not so handy with a needle and thread, you could always ask someone you know to lend a helping hand, watch one of the many ‘How To’ videos online or even find a class to get expert help and advice that can take you from repair zero to repair hero in no time.

There are even a number of Repair Cafes popping up across the County where you can go along and get tips and advice from experts.

If you’re looking for a place to start brushing up on your repair skills, why not visit the Love Your Clothes channel on YouTube which has a number of handy videos on everything from removing grass stains, machine sewing a hem or even brightening your whites so they don’t get resigned to the recycling pile just yet.

If you can’t repair then why not find a way to reuse?

Make something new