Pembrokeshire County Council is urging residents to rethink their recycling habits when it comes to unwanted clothes.

Instead of dumping old clothes and shoes in rubbish bins, it urges people to use textile recycling banks instead.

The textile recycling banks are run by the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL), which uses the money raised from recycling clothes to support the work of the Salvation Army throughout the country.

"We buy 1,865,000 tonnes of new clothes each year in Britain but only 324,000 tonnes is recycled - that's just 16 per cent," said Clr. Ken Rowlands, cabinet member for environmental and regulatory services.

"If everyone put two items of clothing a month into a SATCoL clothes recycling bank, we could double that, helping to reduce our impact on the environment," he said.

"Residents using the banks are not just getting rid of unwanted items and benefiting local communities, they are also helping the environment by reducing the amount Pembrokeshire County Council currently has to send to landfill."

The council's call is part of Recycle Week 2009, which runs from June 22 to 28. The national campaign highlights the importance of recycling and using our resources more efficiently.

Residents can find their nearest SATCoL bank by going to http://www.wear2bank.co.uk">www.wear2bank.co.uk and entering their postcode in the 'find a bank' section.