The council shared images showing illegal dumping, which includes plastic bags filled with clothing, rubbish and mattresses dumped at the Ballyboggan Road facility.
In a statement, it said: “Unfortunately, due to daily abuse of the Ballyboggan Road Bring Bank, clothes banks have now been removed.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Clothes and textiles can be deposited for reuse and recycling at Ballymun Recycling Centre, Carton Road, Dublin 11.”
In a letter to a local councillor, Sid Daly, the Public Domain Officer for Dublin City Council’s Waste Management Services, outlined ongoing issues with illegal dumping at textile banks across the city.
Mr Daly acknowledged “high volumes of illegal dumping at all on-street recycling facilities throughout Finglas”, as well as other parts of the city.
“Items are regularly removed from the banks, illegally dumped bags are ripped open, and clothes are littered around the vicinity,” he said.
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“Well-meaning people also contribute by leaving items and bags at textile banks that are more likely than not full, in the belief that they will be recycled. In fact, items removed by DCC staff are, for the most part, processed as general waste.
“In order to deal with the issues identified, a phased approach has been adopted. Phase one is the introduction of additional capacity to Bring Centres.
“The removal of a textile bank can only be considered when sufficient capacity for textile recycling can be ensured within a reasonably close proximity,” he added.
Within the Dublin City Council area, 69 locations have glass banks, 57 have textile banks, and 40 of these locations provide both.
Councillors on Dublin’s North West Area Committee recently called for Clothes Pod textile recycling facilities to be removed from locations in their area, particularly on Seamus Ennis Road and Shangan Road.
While the council has acknowledged that dumping and scavenging remain a problem, they outlined that national and EU legislation means the number of clothes bank facilities could increase in the coming years.
“Due to legislative changes in the revised EU Waste Framework Directive that are due to be enacted in 2025, member states will be obliged to ensure the separate collection of textiles for reuse, preparing for reuse, and recycling,” they said.
When this legislation takes effect, clothes and textiles will no longer be accepted as general waste in household bins.
“This group has not yet issued any recommendation as to how the legislation will be adapted in Ireland.
“It is likely, however, that the recommendation will be for the service to be provided via local authority civic amenity and recycling facilities, including on-street clothes banks.
“[This means] continue to provide the service using the existing model, and most likely to seek to increase the number of on-street locations,” they added.
Dublin City Council has already removed clothes banks from Ballymun Library, Coultry Green/Park, and Finglas Fire Station in the past few years.
