Dublin City Council says illegal dumping and a significant increase in 'scavenging' at clothing banks has been leaving Bring Banks in the capital in 'disarray'.
They say they are now looking at paying companies to recycle textiles, rather than receiving payments for the clothes they collect because the rise in fast fashion has made the previous model unsustainable.
In recent months, overflowing clothes banks and the areas around them covered in discarded garments has become a regular sight around the capital.
Dublin City Council says there has been an increase in illegal dumping and more people scavenging for clothing inside the recycling units.
However, Dublin City Council's contract with the company TRL who empty these recycling banks, also recently expired.
Due to the amount of clothes accumulating at the clothing banks, the council had to issue an emergency contract to the same company to keep emptying units, but it was a very different contract to the previous ones.
Companies like TRL once paid the council for the clothes they collected but as international recycling markets have been flooded with fast fashion, they say this has become unsustainable.
Now Dublin City Council are paying TRL to take the clothes off their hands and in the longer term they are considering paying companies for this service.
However, Donna Cooney, Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin is calling on council management to explore alternatives.
Sustainable Fashion Educator Miriam Keegan says the scale of pressure on international markets is immense and she believes local authorities now need to look beyond clothing banks to deal with the issues.
"We have a massive problem. Research suggests we have enough clothing on the planet for the next six generations.
"In Ireland we generate approximately 170,000 tonnes of post consumer textiles per year, which is about 35kg per person per year.
"When you compare that to the EU average of 26kg per person, there's clearly an issue.
"In Ireland, we don't take full responsibility for the end of life of our clothing, so we have to send it somewhere else around the world.
"Unfortunately, a lot of the time that is the global south - developing countries that are just not able to cope with the magnitude of the clothing - so it ends up in their landfills and completely covers their cities and their beaches."
Ms Keegan said there needs to be a mindset shift about how people use clothes.
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"Globally, only 1% of clothing is recycled textile to textile. So long as clothing has blends of different fabrics, like polyester and cotton together, they cannot be recycled.
"As long as we have that issue where people are just constantly buying new and seeing their clothing as commodities, like coffee cups that they can get rid of after one use, as long as that is in our culture, it will never change and the problem will just grow even bigger.
"I think more textile banks is not the full answer to this issue. We need to have a complete cultural mindset shift on this where we need to value our clothes.
"We need Ireland to take a step forward in terms of taking full responsibility for the entire life cycle of our clothing, not only when the clothing comes in, but educating people on how to care for your clothes properly and looking at the post life of clothing."
Ms Cooney echoed this call for alternatives to clothes banks to be explored.
She said there should be a public consultation on what happens next, while she says the public also need to be informed about what happens to the items that go into recycling banks.
"The feedback we're getting is people are not happy because they're seeing how wasteful it is. They're seeing clothes all over the ground and I suppose they're more conscious of it, then when it was just being collected.
"I hope in the short-term that Dublin City Council do not go out to tender for the same type of contract because it's just not working. It's not sustainable. The public don't want it, and the elected representatives are all concerned about it.
"Obviously, in the interim, they had to, it was a crisis they had to deal with because of the amount of textiles are just being left around. But I don't want them to go out to tender for the same thing that is obviously broken and not working."
In a statement Dublin City Council said it is working towards issuing a new contract for these services before the summer.
"Local Authorities provide a textile recycling service in order to ensure compliance with the European Directive, and this obligation will remain until an Extended Producers Responsibility scheme is developed and in place.
"Waste Management Services are currently finalising a request for tender to establish a new framework.
"Any new contracts arising from this framework will include penalties for underperformance in service, which facilitates littering at bring banks locations."
'Additional logistical and cost challenges'
In a statement TRL, who empty clothing banks for Dublin City Council and a number of other local authorities nationwide says shifts in global security, economies and trade and Ireland's position on the edge of Europe brings "additional logistical and cost challenges" while the rapid rise of ultra-fast fashion is "overwhelming the global system".
"As the Republic of Ireland's largest collector of used clothing, we operate in a sector that plays a crucial role in the circular economy.
"However, like the rest of the industry, we are navigating a rapidly shifting market due to a range of global and regional challenges.
"While these disruptions affect all textile collectors and processors, Ireland faces magnified challenges due to our geographical position on the edge of Europe.
"Geopolitical conflicts, economic downturns, and shifting trade policies have severely impacted the global textile reuse market.
"Key processing hubs have had to reduce capacity or shut down altogether, while currency instability in end markets has made transactions slower and more unpredictable.
"Our position on the western edge of Europe presents additional logistical and cost challenges. Transport costs are significantly higher than those faced by operators on the continent, as we must ship all goods overseas before they reach major sorting hubs and resale markets.
"These additional costs, combined with Ireland's high wages and operational expenses, reduce our competitiveness in an already strained global market.
"The rapid rise of ultra-fast fashion has fundamentally changed the landscape of textile reuse. The sheer volume of low-cost, low-quality garments being produced and discarded is overwhelming the global reuse and recycling system.
"While demand for second-hand clothing remains strong, the influx of short-lifespan garments is creating significant challenges at every stage of the supply chain, from collection and sorting to resale.
"Without a focus on reducing overproduction and increasing garment longevity, the pressure on the entire industry will continue to grow."
TRL also called on the Government and the European Union to take action on the issue.
"While we welcome the EU's efforts to introduce policies that support textile reuse and sustainability, these measures are taking time to implement, leaving businesses like ours to manage the immediate impacts of market instability.
"More decisive action is needed to ensure that the sector remains viable and continues to provide a sustainable alternative to landfill and incineration.
"Immediate action is needed on EU and Government level to address the current challenges, ensuring that businesses operating in this space can continue to provide essential services in the circular economy."
