How to recycle clothes and other textile waste in Brisbane

Use these tips to help prevent textile waste and a create sustainable fashion industry. 

• Consider if you need the item before buying. Control the urge to shop by unfollowing social media accounts, unsubscribing from e-newsletters, and deleting shopping apps.
• Buy second-hand:
  • online via eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, The Closet, Nextdoor app, or other local share apps
  • visit a Council Treasure Trove in Acacia Ridge or Geebung
  • visit your local op shop, charity store, or local market (e.g. Suitcase Rummage).
• Learn to care for and repair clothes with Fixing Fashion, or have them altered to last longer.
• Restyle your existing clothing or home furnishings.
• If buying new:
  • choose high-quality, versatile clothing over cheap, poorly made, fast fashion items. These items might cost more but often last longer
  • choose clothes made from natural fibers like cotton, linen, wool, silk, hemp, or bamboo. Avoid buying mixed fibre clothing, unless the mixed fibres are natural. Synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, and elastane come from non-renewable fossil fuels
  • choose clothes made in Australia, and even better if you can buy ones made in Brisbane.

Use these tips to put your textiles back into circulation, by selling, donating, or swapping them to keep them out of landfill.

• Sell or donate your unwanted clothes and textiles that are in good condition. You can do this:
  • online on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, The Closet, depo, Nextdoor app, or other local share apps
  • at local op shops, charity stores and local markets (e.g. Suitcase Rummage)
  • at one of Council's resource recovery centres for resale at the Treasure Troves in Acacia Ridge and Geebung.
• Gift your preloved clothes to family and friends.
• Host a clothes swap with friends to freshen up your wardrobe using pre-loved clothing. See tips on how to hold a clothing swap on the Biome website.
• Donate running shoes in good condition to Shoes for Planet Earth who deliver them to people in need around Australia.

Use these tips to repurpose unwanted clothes and textiles.

• Upcycle your old textiles into serviettes, handkerchiefs, scrunchies or cleaning cloths/rags.
• Wrap gifts in fabric or scarves inspired by the Japanese art of furoshiki.
• Keep fabric scraps for repairing clothes.
• Donate fabric and textiles to Reverse Garbage - ring them first before dropping off items.
• Donate fabric to Boomerang Bags where volunteers will make reusable shopping bags.
• Donate fabric to Days for Girls to make washable pads for women and girls around the world.
• Donate old towels, sheets and blankets to local animal shelters, vets, mechanics and painters. 

If you can't repurpose unwanted clothing or textiles, consider recycling them. Use these tipswhen recycling fabric goods. 

Drop-off locations

• H&M, Zara, Uniqlo – have garment drop off points in their stores.
• Macpac and Patagonia offer trade-in programs where you can return worn-out or damaged clothes for store credit.
• Tread Lightly and Havaianas have shoe and thong drop off points at participating retail locations .
• Pre-loved sheets and towels (any brand) can be dropped off at Sheridan stores.
• Send old bed sheets, clothes and shoes to Ecosa for recycling.
• Return your old boots to the Totally Workwear Boot recycling program when you buy new boots from them.

Collections companies

• Upparel collect textiles for recycling.
• RecycleSmart collect clothes, shoes and textiles .

Composting

• textiles made from natural fibres (including cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, wool, silk) can be added to your home compost or worm farm. Cut them up into small pieces and be sure to remove buttons and zippers first.

Options for businesses

• Contact Total Uniform Solutions for information about recycling corporate uniforms and workwear.
• Planet Ark’s Business Recycling website lets businesses arrange pickup or drop-off for recycling large amounts of textiles.

As a last resort, place your worn-out clothes and other textile waste in your general waste bin. 

Water

• It takes 2700 litres of water to produce a single t-shirt — that's enough drinking water for a person for 2.5 years.
• Textile production generates an estimated 20% of global clean water pollution from dyeing and finishing products.
• A single load of polyester laundry can release 700,000 microplastic fibers into the environment, disrupting food chains.

Greenhouse gases

• Early estimates indicate that the carbon footprint of clothing in Australia could be as much as 13 million tonnes per year. 
• The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Landfill

• In Brisbane in 2022-23 an estimated 14,730 tonnes of textile waste was sent to landfill from household general waste (red-lid) bins. 
• Each year in Australia, people discard about 300 kilotons of clothing. They send 100 kilotons to landfill and 200 kilotons to clothing donation.
• In 2020-21, people sent 35 kilotons of damaged or poor-quality donated clothing to landfill. They exported 107 kilotons (nearly 60 percent).