Clothes banks in 'awful condition'

Tipperary Co Council has been asked to carry out a survey of second hand clothes banks in the county, which local councillors fear are becoming dump sites for bags of rubbish.

Cllr Michael O'Meara raised the issue at the February meeting of the council's Nenagh Municipal District. He said any of the clothes banks he had visited were in an "awful condition".

The issue also came up at last month's meeting of the full council, where Cllr David Dunne noted that EU member states are now obliged to set up separate collection systems for textile waste.

"Clothes are not worth anything anymore," Cllr Dunne observed, asking whether the banks should be removed altogether.

Director of Services Eamon Lonergan said there are over 80 clothes banks in the county and they do pose financial considerations. He agreed that demand for second hand clothing has diminished.