Textile recovery
You can now dispose of your unwanted and unusable textiles for free at new textile recovery boxes provided by Upcycle 4 Better at our Resource Recovery Centres in Shepparton, Ardmona and Murchison.
✅ What CAN go in the textile recovery boxes?
- Clothing
- Babies', kids' and adults'
- Sportswear, swimwear
- Sleepwear
- Formalwear
- Underwear
- Accessories
- Belts
- Ties and bows
- Bags (incl. purses, school bags, handbags, briefcases, backpacks and travel bags)
- Hats (incl. caps, top and fancy hats, fascinators)
- Scarves and shawls
- Sports gloves, boxing gloves
- Footwear
- Babies', kids' and adults' casual
- Sports shoes (incl. football, all special boots)
- Formal shoes and heels
- Gumboots
- Home items
- Aprons and oven gloves
- Tea and kitchen towels
- Napkins and tablecloths
- Bath towels and bathrobes
- Bed sheets and pillow cases
- Curtains
- Knitted / baby blankets
- Plush / soft toys
❌ What CAN NOT go in the textile recovery boxes?
- Disposable non wovens (hospital overalls, hotel slippers, face masks, etc.)
- Mattresses, quilted eiderdowns and other doonas
- Car and sofa cushions, other similar bulky furniture and vehicle items
- Pet beds and animals blankets/rugs
- Commercial waste and corporate/school uniforms. If you are a business, please contact Upcycle 4 Better.
Please do not place anything damp inside.
Why? Damp clothing create an ideal environment for mould and bacteria growth, potentially causing health issues. This can spread and contaminate the rest of the textiles, making them unsuitable for recycling and causing unnecessary waste.
Please bag items
Please ensure that all items are washed and dried and placed in plastic bags to protect items, to avoid water damage, especially on rainy days, and for the comfort and safety of the handling staff and to keep material integrity. Plastic bags used in this collection are collected and recycled as well.
Small bags, please!
The chutes on the textile recovery boxes are not large enough to accept large bags. Please be sure to use grocery/supermarket sized bags to ensure your items fit.
Once collected by Upcycle 4 Better, the materials are reviewed and sorted following a hierarchy to ensure that what is wearable and repairable for reuse will have a second spring in life, followed by upcycling of materials, repurposing, recycling and lastly, waste to energy.
This specific order is important, as recycling requires more resources than repair and repurposing, and waste to energy should always be a last resort for unusable textiles only.