Clothing banks to be removed over fly-tipping

Clothing donation banks are to be removed in two locations after problems with fly-tipping.

In Hull, a council clothing and footwear bank will be taken away after rubbish was repeatedly dumped there.

Councillor Peter North said the site in Bricknell Avenue had become a focal point for unwanted waste, adding: "This bin has almost provided a location where it seems legitimate to fly-tip."

Meanwhile, in Scunthorpe, Morrisons said it would be removing donation bins outside its Lakeside Parkway store following vandalism, theft and fly-tipping.

Items dumped there have included cooking oil, paperwork, duvets and pillows.

The clothing bank in Hull was provided under a partnership between the city council and Envirofriendly Recycling, an organisation that runs a number of textile banks in the area on a not-for-profit basis.

It is understood that Envirofriendly Recycling has locally-based staff, empties the bank twice a week and aims to respond within two hours when informed of problems.

North said that although the bin was emptied regularly, donated items were often left beside it again the following day and fly-tipping had become a recurring problem.

"I don't know why people think its acceptable," he said of people who had dumped waste.

"We're very sad and sorry to everyone who uses this responsibility."

North said a date had not yet been set for the bank's removal.

Hull City Council said it asked textile bank providers to remove any fly-tipping as soon as it received reports.

"Residents can also donate unwanted textiles to charity shops or make use of the council's household waste recycling centres," a spokesperson added.

In Scunthorpe, Councillor Max Bell said vandalism and fly-tipping had affected four charity donation bins on Lakeside Parkway.

Bins had also been damaged, with several clothing banks forced open.

Bell said the bins were being "abused by a small minority of the public".

"I'm just ashamed – it's just an awful site," he said.

Councillor Judith Matthews, of Ashby Lakeside, said: "This to me doesn't look like the average rubbish, this looks like someone's entire house has been dumped."

A spokesperson for the Morrisons Foundation, which owns the bins and is responsible for collection, said: "We have spent weeks trying to minimise the impact of ongoing vandalism, theft and illegal fly-tipping at this site, including increasing collection schedules, monitoring bin capacity remotely and exploring alternative, on-site locations.

"Unfortunately, due to repeated anti-social behaviour, we will now be removing the outdoor clothing recycling service in the coming days.

"We hope to reintroduce the service via a secure in-store collection point in the near future."

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