Have you recently cleaned out your closet and found clothes or shoes that you no longer wear or are beyond repair? We have put together a handy guide with places where you can responsibly dispose of clothing, shoes and textiles and avoid sending them to landfill.
What to do with shoes…..
In an initiative called Save Our Soles, the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) has partnered up with a number of major sporting brands including Adidas, Asics, Sports Power, Globe, Converse, Rebel and New Balance to collect and recycle old worn out shoes. You can take athletic footwear and sneakers to any of their partner stores for recycling.
Sports shoes that still have some life in them, can be donated to Shoes for Planet Earth, an Australian non-profit providing shoes for communities in need around the globe. They accept all sporting shoes in good condition (with no holes and good soles) and have several shoe collectors across Australia. You can refer to their website to locate your nearest collector.
What about preloved clothes?
If you have quality clothes or accessories sitting in your closet that no longer serve you, let them be part of a reloved wardrobe, you can request a clean-out kit through Reluv. Reluv aims to reduce clothing waste by keeping clothes in circulation longer and can resell your good quality, preloved items,. Reluv makes selling your preloved clothes hassle-free and you can even earn some cash or a new outfit in exchange!
For clothes that have reached the end of their useful life, are damaged or stained there are several options to have these textiles recycled rather than sent to landfill. Large retailers such as H&M have extended their recycling efforts to consumers. Through their Garment Collecting initiative, H&M provides collection bins at all their stores globally for any type of unwanted clothes by any brands.
Alternately, you can also arrange for your clothing to be collected from your home by Upparel! At $25 AUD Manrags will collect 10 kg of unwanted clothing and shoes (not limited to athletic footwear only) from your homes that they will reuse or recycle. In exchange you will receive a voucher which enables you to purchase their socks and underwear.
For those with access to compost, any items that are made from 100% natural fibre (remember it has to be natural fibre otherwise it won’t break down) such as cotton, hemp, and linen items can be composted. Cut them up into little pieces to speed up the process and throw them into the compost. Don’t have a compost? You can just spread those strips of fabric into your garden bed and top off with mulch.
Australians discard more than 500 million kg of unwanted clothing every year. With so many options readily available we can all work to reduce this waste.
