At present, the Denny facility sorts over 500 tonnes of textiles and shoes per week.
However, the company now aims to sort 650 tonnes per week by 2010.
The extension includes extended conveyor belts, additional fork-lifts and fork-lift parts and the creation of more jobs at the plant.
Speaking at the opening of the extension, Ms Cunningham said: “As well as the benefits to charities, recycling textiles means one more waste material being dealt with constructively, rather than landfilled 'out of sight, out of mind'.
“I congratulate Nathan's on the continuing and growing success of their business, and for inward investment which is so important in these difficult times.”
Roberto Cocozza, business development director at Nathan's said: “Nathan's is bucking the current employment trend by extending our plant in Denny, making it one of the largest textile sorting plants in Europe.”
Mr Cocozza added that the collection of unwanted textiles raised £4.5 million for charities in 2008 and the projection for this year is said to be close to £6 million.
Schools
As well as partnership with the UK-wide charities, Nathan's also works with schools through its ‘Rag Bag Education' and fundraising program, which aims to help schools achieve Eco-school awards.
Nathan's is one of the founding members of SortUK, which alongside East London's Lawrence M Barry and West Midlands-based JMP Wilcox lobbies for textiles to be sorted domestically (see letsrecycle.com story).
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