Mancs are being urged to help stop more than 16,000 tonnes of textiles from going to waste each year by donating their unwanted clothes.
After shocking new figures revealed that a whopping 16,700 tonnes of textiles was sadly put into Greater Manchester’s general waste bins within the last year, Greater Manchester Combined Authority(GMCA) has teamed up with Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) to launch a bold new campaign called ‘Cotton On’ and work towards tackling the problem head on.
For the new campaign – which is aptly called ‘Cotton On’ – local residents are simply being encouraged to recycle their old, damaged, or unwanted clothes instead of throwing them away.
With the concept of ‘fast fashion’ still, unfortunately, going as strong as ever, it’s believed that each person in the UK chucks 35 items of clothing into the general waste every year on average – with old socks, ripped jeans, and stained t-shirts being some of the main culprits socks.
Your old clothes can have a new life. 👖👚
Even if they’re ripped or stained, they can be recycled at your local textiles bank. ♻️
While many people will consider parting ways with their unwanted clothes by donating them to charity or selling them online, GMCA and R4GM is keen for its new campaign to highlight the fact that damaged clothes and textiles can also be recycled, instead of thrown away.
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Greater Manchester already has a large existing network of textile banks, including at all of the region’s 20 recycling centres.
You can also find loads of others in supermarket carparks and large clothing stores too.
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All the textiles donated by residents are sorted here in Greater Manchester, and when the clothing is in a state of disrepair so much that it can’t be re-worn, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road, as the material is then recycled into something new like animal bedding, carpet underlay, and even things like car seats.
Mancs are being urged to donate their unwanted clothes to help stop 16,000 tonnes being thrown away / Credit: Crew | Maude Frederique Lavoie (via Unsplash)
Cllr Tom Ross, who is GMCA’s lead for Waste and Recycling, says that the thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown away each year is “damaging” to the region’s 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, so it’s great to see this campaign underway to raise awareness of what Greater Manchester residents can do with the unwanted or damaged clothes in their home.
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“It’s a fantastic example of what R4GM does to make recycling simple.”
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Emily Sergeant -
27th August 2024 
