IF you’ve got any old clothes or shoes you want to throw out, don’t let them go to waste – recycle them.

That’s the message from Fenland District Council - and it is making the recycling much easier by installing 28 new textile banks at sites across Fenland.

At the same time, the council is removing some of the glass banks around the district because glass bottles and jars can now be deposited in residents’ blue bins. Town and parish councils have been advised and signs will be placed at affected sites.

The new arrangements will come into operation from next week and, combined with other planned improvements, could save the council about �50,000 a year.

The council is urging residents not to put textiles in their blue bins because the material becomes contaminated and cannot then be recycled.

Councillor Peter Murphy, FDC’s portfolio holder responsible for the environment, said: “Many of us throw a lot of clothing away every year. There are already charity shops in our market towns that can take clothes and people can of course still use them.

“But these new textile banks will make recycling much easier, particularly for people who live out in the villages.

“Using them will also benefit the environment. Making clothes uses up to 10 times more energy than producing steel or glass and there’s a lot of waste. We can help to reduce it.”

• For details of all bring bank facilities visit www.recyclenow.com and for more general information on reducing waste visit www.recap.co.uk/reducing-waste