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We all need to refresh our wardrobes at some point and it’s important to know the right way to reuse and recycle old clothing.

There are over 80 charity bins and stores across our City so it’s very easy to make a donation. Check out Recycling Near You for places you can donate clothing, footwear, linen, towels, uniforms and unwearable fabrics.

Top tips for responsible donations:

When donating clothing and footwear, do the right thing and make sure they are good quality to be reused by someone in need or recycled into something new. Watch why it’s so important to donate good quality items here

Your donations should:

• Be clean and in a condition you’d happily give to a friend to wear
• Have working zippers and all buttons, pieces and laces
• Not be ripped, faded, stained or worn out
• Secondhand socks and underwear should go in your rubbish bin
• If the shop is closed or the bin is full, wait for it to be open/empty to ensure your donation doesn’t get damaged and sent to landfill
• Illegally dumping your donations around charity bins or in front of shops could cost you a $4000 fine 

While you’re dropping off a donation at one of the many stores in our City, have a browse to see what treasure you can find to take home. Shopping at secondhand markets is becoming second nature to many people. 62% of young people claim they look for an item secondhand before purchasing it new. Online marketplaces and charity stores are making buying and selling in the secondhand market more accessible than ever. If you haven’t done it, what are you waiting for? 

A word on the RecycleSmart program 

Many residents have been contacting us encouraging us to financially support the program. We recently reviewed the program and, whilst we recognise the program has positive elements, we have opted not to participate at this time. The program model is interesting, and we could eventually partner with them in the future. For now, however, we will continue to monitor them and review our decision as more data becomes available.