BRENTWOOD Conservatives are looking to hear from anyone involved in charity shops in the borough with their views on the introduction of household textile and clothing recycling.

At a recent meeting of the Environment Panel, it was agreed to explore bringing in a kerbside service to collect unwanted clothes from each house across Brentwood.

Shadow Environment Panel Chairman, Paul Faragher, said, "As a party, we are big supporters of recycling and welcome new opportunities that make it easier for residents to recycle more.

“However, in the case of textiles and unwanted clothes, we are concerned such a service would have a detrimental impact on charities, many of which rely on donations of unwanted clothes to stock their shops and help to raise money.

“A kerbside collection could mean donors opt for the Council to take the clothes to save having to make a trip to donate them."

Mr Faragher has written to the charity shops in the borough asking for their views, and intends to ensure the responses are included when the council makes a decision.

He added: "If you work in a charity shop or have any experience of running one, please do get in touch and let me know your thoughts. We want to see recycling opportunities increase even further but need to be sure it won't have a negative effect on the charitable efforts that do so much for good causes."