New textile banks were launched at Island Waste, Forest Road, Newport, at the end of last year.
A SIMPLE way of helping the environment and charities while clearing clutter is to recycle old clothes, blankets and curtains via a textile bank.
In a new scheme, the Earl Mountbatten Hospice benefits from goods deposited in yellow textile banks at 19 recycling sites around the Island.
The banks are managed by Wight Reclamation.
Managing director Stan Howe said: "My mother was cared for in a hospice in Devon when she was dying of cancer, so I am a supporter of the hospice movement.
"I suggested to the council and the hospice that we used textile recycling to raise money. The textile bins have been leased from a company that buys the textile waste."
The banks are suitable for recycling clothes, shoes, belts, handbags, blankets, sheets and curtains.
Stan explained that at the company’s warehouse in Birmingham, the waste was sorted and graded. Clothing and shoes were sent to third-world countries for resale. Some became filling for pillows or soft toys. Other scraps were turned into wipes used in garages.
Stan hopes the textile banks will generate around £400 a month for the hospice.
Another charity that benefits from textile recycling on the Island is the Hampshire and IW Air Ambulance, which has more than 20 textile banks in supermarket car parks and other venues.