Emergency: Irish Republic's Only Textile Recycling Plant Under Threat

dublin | environment | press release

Friday June 20, 2003 18:42

by An Taisce Spokesman - An Taisce

The Liberties Recycling Plant in Basin Street, Dublin 8, is a model of community driven enterprise. As an example of sustainable business, it excels on many counts. It is a financially viable concern, recycles discarded clothes and textiles, and provides 15 employment positions for people who are trying to rehabilitate themselves from drug use. Yet the Irish Republic’s only textile recycling plant now faces closure - unless the authorities step in and help secure alternative premises.

An Taisce calls for immediate intervention by Dublin City Council

Liberties Recycling Plant “a model of community driven enterprise”

50 jobs face the axe while Ireland’s landfill problem will increase

The Liberties Recycling Plant in Basin Street, Dublin 8, is a model of community driven enterprise. As an example of sustainable business, it excels on many counts. It is a financially viable concern, recycles discarded clothes and textiles, and provides 15 employment positions for people who are trying to rehabilitate themselves from drug use. Yet the Irish Republic’s only textile recycling plant now faces closure - unless the authorities step in and help secure alternative premises.

In the past Dublin’s inner city communities have more often been associated with deprivation, rather than successful indigenous ventures. Equally, Dublin itself has – and continues to be – considered to have a rubbish problem, leading to the lamentable dubbing of “Dirty Dublin”.

However, the Basin Street venture is an operation which has given employment and hope to the local community, while at the same time being an active participant in addressing Ireland’s notorious land-fill problem. As a scheme that that was set up in partnership with the “Merchant Quay Project”, part of the Basin Street plant’s remit is to provide 15 of its approximately 50 positions to people who are doing there best to rehabilitate themselves away from drug use.

In operation now for over two years, the plant has become an outstanding success and per annum recycles almost 1,000,000 Kilogrammes of clothes and other textiles – which otherwise would end up as part of Dublin’s ever-growing waste problem. Moreover, by turning waste into a commercial commodity, Basin Street supplies Dublin Bus with rags – which otherwise would have to be sourced outside of Ireland.

The statistics of success speak for themselves; the company takes 70% of materials donated to the city’s charity shops – which would only be discarded – out of which, 95% is recycled. Much of the textiles are processed and exported to the UK, where they are turned into carpets. Those materials – such as clothes – which are reusable and that are not sold to Dublin Bus or exported to the UK, are sent out to the Third World where local traders are able to distribute them around their communities.

So far, all of this has been done without any grant aid or funding from central government. Yet despite the fact that it is now increasingly likely that the Republic’s only textile recycling plant is going to close only a year after the country’s only glass recycling plant shut down, An Taisce notes the lack of real commitment from the Government in that it is over a year since Basin Street applied for funding from the Department of Environment. Still there has been no response, other than the standard three-line acknowledgement issued by the D.o.E. at the time.

Yet as the building is rented rather than owned by the plant, the whole operation now faces closure as the premises owner has indicated that the building must be sold. An Taisce believes that urgent action is now required by state authorities, such as the City Council, to ensure that this flagship operation does not go under.

Currently the City Council is in the process of off-loading over a dozen city centre properties to the private sector. Many of these properties are within walking distance of Basin Street, and would be eminently suitable for a new permanent set-up for the Liberties Recycling Plant.

Dublin City Council should prioritise this issue, and do it’s utmost to encourage recycling, rather than trying to ignore any teething problems. Basin Street is a tried and tested outfit; they face closure, yet are defiant and ambitious in that equally they want to expand. By either allocating a site or else providing €600,000, the plants future would be secured, capacity would be doubled, and a further 15 jobs would be created. €600,000: that’s less than the approximate cost of keeping 7 non-rehabilitated drug users locked in prison for 1 year.

The initiative of the people involved with Basin Street should be rewarded – not ignored. And if our representatives fail in this regard, you know who to blame when there is 50 more people on the dole, an inner-city community left deprived, 15 people trapped in the cycle of crime through having no drug-treatment facilities, while all the time the waste crisis will grow. To the Government and Dublin City Council; now is the time for your decision.

Ends.