Pre-loved unwanted items of clothing can now be recycled in Victoria’s Baw Baw Shire with the rollout of new free textile disposal chutes at Council transfer stations.
The service upgrade, delivered by the Council in partnership with Upcylce4Better, means that residents now have the options to recycle acceptable textile items that are unable to be recycled as part of standard kerbside collection, at no additional cost, at the Lardner and Trafalgar transfer stations.
“Reducing what ends up in landfill is one of the most impactful actions we can take to help protect our environment,” said Mayor, Annemarie McCabe.
“As a Council we want to do everything we can to make it as easy as possible to reduce landfill waste. We are so pleased to take this step and offer our residents the opportunity to recycle their unwanted clothing and fabric at no additional cost.
“The positive results we saw recently as part of kerbside collection audits is a testament to our residents who continue to do a fantastic job at recycling. I have no doubt our community will take up this program and support any opportunity to create a more sustainable future for Baw Baw,” she said.
In 2022, textiles made up for approximately 7% of Baw Baw Shire’s red garbage bin waste. With the introduction of this sustainable textile recycling program, these previously unrecyclable items can be diverted from ending up in landfill and instead recovered and repurposed for future use, the Council said in a statement.
Acceptable textiles include items of clothing, shoes, underwear, hats, belts, handbags, backpacks, bed linen, towels and soft toys. Items not accepted include hospital overalls, hotel slippers, face masks and mattresses.
