Tackling Textile Waste on the Dorrigo Plateau

Textile waste is a significant issue in the Bellingen Shire, accounting for approximately 7 percent of waste in Council’s red bin system. This waste ends up in landfill contributing to Council’s landfill greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2024/25 the Full Circle Collective received a grant of $5,000 from Bellingen Shire Council’s Environment Levy Community Fund to run two community engagement events tackling the issue of textile waste on the Dorrigo Plateau.

The first event was a community clothes swap where participants brought along clothes they no longer wanted and swapped them for clothes brought along by other participants. The event included introductory sustainability talks which increased community understanding of textile waste and its impact on the environment. 95% of surveyed participants reported they had learnt something new about the issue of textile waste in Australia. In addition, 62% of surveyed participants had never attended a clothes swap before and have now been exposed to this sustainable alternative to buying new.

The second event was a repair café where community members could bring in clothing items to be repaired. Participants were encouraged to participate in their own repairs, upskilling them to be able to do it themselves next time. Take-home mending kits were provided to further encourage community members to mend their own clothes.

Both events encouraged participants to adopt sustainable practices in textile consumption and disposal by showcasing sustainable alternatives to fast fashion and landfill disposal. Alternatives that were promoted included sourcing second-hand, swapping, mending and onshore recycling options.

Overall, over 350 items of clothing were kept in circulation through the initiatives and direct, meaningful environmental engagement and education was provided to over 50 community members.

An ongoing legacy of the project is the establishment of a community-accessible repair space at the Never Never Mind, along with the provision of a community sewing machine to the Dorrigo CWA to help enable future mending, repair, and creative upcycling initiatives at this additional location.

All images courtesy of the Full Circle Collective.