Keeping clothes out of landfill

TWEED Shire Council has announced six new clothing recycling bins will be installed for residents to more easily recycle and reduce textile waste in the region.

The new bins will be at key locations from this month and are also aimed at addressing the oversupply of unsuitable goods received by op shops, which frequently end up in landfill.

In partnership with e-THREAD and The Sebastian Foundation, the initiative aims to address clothing and textile waste as a major problem source, with the average Australian buying 27 kg of new clothing every year.

In 2024-25, the Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre in Tweed received around 207 tonnes of unsaleable goods from op-shops, which included textiles, furniture, and mattresses.

Acting director of sustainable communities and environment, Jane Lofthouse, said the project supported the goal of increasing waste diversion to 70 per cent.

“This partnership with e-THREAD is one way we can make better use of clothing and other materials by reusing and recycling rather than contributing to landfill,” Lofthouse said.

“Clothes take decades to break down, release harmful gases and microplastics, and waste the water, energy, and materials used to make them.

“Many people don’t realise how many resources go into producing clothing; a single cotton t-shirt needs 2,700 litres of water to make, enough for one person to drink for 2.5 years, while a pair of jeans requires over 10,000 litres of water to produce.”

The new bins will be installed at two sites in Tweed Heads, in Tweed Heads South, Banora Point, Stotts Creek and Murwillumbah.

Residents can donate clothing, accessories, bags, and shoes at the bins, and e-THREAD will service them daily for the first three months to ensure the items are reused or repurposed.

“We also value the important work of local op shops and charities and understand that many receive more donations than they can manage, or items out of fashion or with minor imperfections,” Lofthouse said.

“These new e-THREAD bins will add extra capacity to the Tweed’s network to help recover and recycle more clothing and textile waste across the shire.”

For information and locations, visit tweed.nsw.gov.au/clothing-donation