Issue 5 Summer 2010
Welcome to the new look newsletter!
Welcome to the summer issue of Wear to Care. We’ve given the newsletter a fresh new look which we hope you’ll agree has made it more contemporary and easier to read – I look forward to hearing your comments on the redesign as I visit many of you in the coming months.
I am delighted to report that, as usual, this latest issue contains a number of success stories – we now have more clothing banks than ever throughout the UK, and, in the past year, one of our partners collected a staggering 277 tonnes of unwanted clothing. We are also proud to announce that we have recently received a third international clothing collection accreditation, for Health and Safety, to add to our Quality and Environmental Management systems, meaning we now have all the major accreditations from the ISO. It is reassuring to see that we continue to prosper, even though competition is fierce.
What’s more, we continue to strive to get as near zero waste as possible. Of the 3,000 tonnes of donations we receive every month, 96 per cent are usable textiles and much of the remaining non-textile donations are re-used or recycled, meaning only five tonnes ends up in landfill.
Once again, thank you for your continued support,
Paul Ozanne
National Recycling Coordinator
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SATCoL tops more than 4,000 banks
It’s good news on the recycling front as SATCoL has topped more than 4,000 clothing banks for the first time in its history. We now have 4,200 banks – that’s about 38 per cent of the 11,000 in the UK. The fact that we are acquiring sites at such a rate is a remarkable achievement considering the huge amount of competition in the marketplace.
We're hoping to further increase the number of banks to 5,000 as soon as possible and one of our objectives is to ensure that every household in the UK has easy access to a clothing bank.
It is important to get the message out there that clothing banks remain the safest and most secure place for the public to donate their unwanted textiles. We feel that everybody should have the opportunity to recycle their clothing and raise money for charity, knowing that their garments will have a new lease of life and help to fund The Salvation Army’s valuable work throughout the UK.
There are lots of things you can do in your area to encourage the public to use the banks. We have a suite of posters available by request to jeanette.mahoney@satrading.org (visit www.wear2bank.co.uk to see samples) and you can also make use of our press office to create some positive local PR. Contact sarah@absoluteprandmarketing.com
or katy@absoluteprandmarketing.com for more information.
To locate their nearest SATCoL clothing bank, residents can be directed to www.wear2bank.co.uk.
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Eco-friendly pupils lead the way in textile recycling
Our Schools Clothing Collection Scheme has only been up and running in Pembrokeshire since February, but already 17 schools are on board. A further 10 schools will be getting involved in the initiative in September, meaning a third of schools in the county will benefit from the scheme.
SATCoL provides all schools taking part with special bags, which staff and pupils fill with clothes to be picked up by our team of local collectors. One of the schools taking part is Stackpole School, where parents, staff and members of the community have collected an impressive 535.5 kilos of clothing – more than half a tonne.
Pembrokeshire County Council’s Vicky White is helping to coordinate the scheme, and, given that she only works part time, the fact she has so many schools on board is a testament to her initiative. Councillor Ken Rowlands, Pembrokeshire County Council's spokesman for the environment and regulatory services, was full of praise for the scheme. He said: "The Salvation Army textile recycling scheme is able to benefit society in so many ways and I urge all schools to sign up to be a part of it. Not only can money be earned through the endeavour of its pupils, they can reaffirm their commitment to recycling by knowing that 96 per cent of clothing that is accepted is used in a positive way and not sent to landfill.”
Paul Ozanne added: “I am delighted with the enthusiasm shown by Pembrokeshire’s schools and find the number taking part in the scheme very encouraging. This echoes the success of our other schools recycling schemes running throughout the UK.”
If you would like more information the Salvation Army Schools Clothing Collection Scheme, visit the schools’ section at www.wear2bank.co.uk/Schools-and-Colleges. If a school in your area has managed to collect an impressive amount of clothing through the scheme you might want to tell your local media about it. Our press office can help with this – contact sarah@absoluteprandmarketing.com
or katy@absoluteprandmarketing.com
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SATCoL meets with European Recycling Network
SATCoL is one of seven Salvation Army recycling companies across Europe operating for the European Network of Recyclers and all the companies had a successful meeting in Basle in Switzerland at the end of April. The network covers many European countries and we meet twice a year to share best practice, discuss common challenges and development, and debate possible changes in legislation likely to affect us. Together, we represent a significant section of the clothing collection industry in Europe and our collaboration ensures that The Salvation Army is providing the best possible service over a large area of the continent.
More details of the latest meeting will be outlined in future newsletters — so watch this space…
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Resourcing for the future
More than 9,000 people are expected to flock to Futuresource, the annual international conference and trade fair for waste, environment and sustainability professionals this month. The event will boast over 60 free seminars, networking opportunities and 36 top level UK and European conference speakers.
SATCoL will, as usual, have a stand at the event, which takes place at the Excel Centre in London from 15 to 17 June. Visitors to stand number KA30 will have the chance to find out more about SATCoL’s free and professional clothing collection service. If you prefer to arrange a time to meet us on the stand then please get in touch and we will put something in the diary.
We hope to see you there!
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Knowsley pupils in a class of their own
It’s always rewarding for us to recognise the efforts of those who go the extra mile to encourage textile recycling in their area. Schoolchildren in the Halewood area of Knowsley in Liverpool were recently rewarded with a digital camera and a laptop as a thank you for the hundreds of bags of clothing they collected via our Schools Clothing Collection Scheme. Seven local primary schools competed to see who could collect the most textiles, with the winners, Knowsley Southern Primary and St Marks RC Primary, collecting the prizes donated by SATCoL.
Cllr David Lonergan, Knowsley Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhood delivery, said: “We were delighted at the response from the schoolchildren in Halewood, whose great recycling efforts are helping the environment and giving much needed donations to those in need.”
Paul Ozanne said: “It’s always encouraging for us to see textile recycling promoted at a young age. We hope that the fun competition element and the prize giving ceremony provided a kick start to making lifelong textile recyclers out of the children and their families.”
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Lincolnshire Waste Partnership celebrates latest recycling success
Residents in Lincolnshire are being encouraged to “keep up the good work” after Lincolnshire County Council dramatically improved its textile recycling rate. Our figures show an impressive 277 tonnes of donated clothing have been collected in its six recycling banks in the county – 71 tonnes and 35 per cent more than in the previous year.
The news is the latest success story for Lincolnshire County Council, which has been working with SATCoL since September 2004 and is already ranked as one of the top authorities for recycling in the country.
Johanna Walker, Lincolnshire County Council’s waste and recycling officer, said: “We are delighted that SATCoL banks are performing so well and helping to divert material that would otherwise be destined for landfill. As a council, we promote the importance of recycling and have put the message out about reusing.”
Paul Ozanne added: “We would like to congratulate the residents of Lincolnshire on their generosity and to encourage them to carry on donating. SATCoL recycles clothes, shoes and textiles. From shirts to skirts, trainers to trousers, and even soft toys, all items can be put to good use for clothing or making items such as mattresses. Recycling clothes helps the environment by reducing landfill and reusing valuable resources. What’s more, profits from our clothing banks are gift aided to The Salvation Army to help fund its work.”
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