Old and discarded clothes can still be recycled at the five civic amenity sites in Tipperary

People will still have the facility to recycle clothes at civic amenity sites around the county when clothes recycling pods are removed from bring sites.

That was the message from Michael Moroney, Senior Executive Officer in the Environment and Climate Action Section of Tipperary County Council, at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

He said that the clothes pods, some of which were causing problems because of dumping, would be removed from car parks.

People could still recycle clothes at the county's five civic amenity sites, including Carrigeen in Clonmel.

The council was engaging with a contractor and it would be towards the end of the year before the changeover happens.

The public would be kept informed about the new arrangements.

Mr Moroney said that if the clothes banks were located on private property, that would be a matter for the landowner.

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Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that dumping problems at the clothes banks were caused by "fast fashion".

She also said that there was a facility for the Deposit Return Scheme in Newcastle in county Dublin where large bags of cans and plastic bottles could be deposited, without having to place each individual item in the machine.

The council should engage with the providers to check if similar facilities could be provided in this area, she suggested.

Cllr Richie Molloy said that the facility for clothes recycling should still be available at Carrigeen and the other civic amenity sites; otherwise discarded clothes would end up being dumped in the woods and other areas.

He said he was still hearing reports about horses entering St Patrick's cemetery, and he asked if a grid was proposed for the new entrance to prevent this from happening.

The Mayor, Pat English, said there was a cattle grid at the new entrance, but he didn't know if it was stopping horses.

Michael Moroney said the council was aware of horses in the cemetery.

Whenever there was a complaint it was investigated, but whenever the council staff visited the cemetery the horses were gone.

The council didn't have a specific role in the Deposit Return Scheme, but Cllr Ambrose's suggestion could be referred to businesses to see if they were interested.

Fergal Condon, Administrative Officer in the council's Environment and Climate Action section, said that horses weren't left overnight or for a significant period of time in St Patrick's Cemetery.