In an attempt to urge residents to recycle their old garments, the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) has launched the #CottonOn initiative.

An alarming 16,700 tonnes of clothing items were dumped in bins during the year of 2023/24, a behaviour the campaign aims to change.

This initiative seeks to enlighten the public about the possibility of revising old and damaged clothes and at the same time promoting environmental sustainability in the UK.

Every UK resident discards on average 35 clothes items per year.

This includes torn socks, old t-shirts and clothing that resulted from 'fast fashion'.

The latter refers to the sale of low-quality attire at relatively low prices, which creates a culture of disposability.

The prime focus of #CottonOn is to encourage the reuse and recycling of clothes often considered waste, given their suboptimal condition.

The Greater Manchester area has a vast network of textile banks dotted across its 20 recycling centres.

Other locations also include supermarket car parks and some large clothing stores.

Every garment gathered from these banks is meticulously hand-sorted right here in our region.

Cllr Tom Ross, GMCA’s lead for waste and recycling, said: "The thousands of tonnes of clothes and shoes being thrown away each year adds to our carbon emissions, damaging our ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2038.

"Under government plans these extra carbon emissions will lead to increased costs for the GMCA and individual local authorities."

These words by Cllr Tom Ross underline the gravitas of the situation and the urgent need for behaviour change.

Moreover, clothes that cannot be reworn have a shot at a second life.

They can be transformed into something new and useful like animal bedding, carpet underlay, and even car seats.

Finally, the #CottonOn to recycling your clothes campaign was officially launched on August 19.

Advertisements and events have been planned to roll out at shopping centres all over Greater Manchester in the subsequent months.

As a reference to recycling locations, the Recycle Now website offers a comprehensive map, ensuring residents have the means to actively partake in this environmentally critical action.