Textile recycling drop-off event

Next date: Saturday, 31 January 2026 | 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM

Nillumbik Shire Council, in partnership with Upparel, is trialling a free drop-off event for recycling old textiles and clothing that are not suitable for donation.

While good quality textiles and clothing can be donated or gifted, taking unusable or unwearable textiles to a dedicated drop-off point helps ensure they are reused or recycled into new products rather than ending up in landfill.

While this is free for residents, there is a cost to Council to support this ethical and transparent recycling process through Upparel. Donations on the day are welcome which will help us provide more events in the future.

Bookings are required and are allocated in 15 minute time slots to help manage numbers on the day.

Book in

There is a limit of about 10kg or two bags per person.

What happens to the textiles?

All the textiles collected from the day will sent to Upparel where they are sorted and processed. Unwearable material will be shredded down into cotton, polyester or other blended fibres and made into new products such as:

insulation
floor underlay
acoustic panel
furniture filling.

Upparel is a Victorian-based business that recycles all materials locally, with no exporting overseas and no waste to landfill.

Learn more about Upparel and view their recycling process:

Accepted

Clothing items (jeans, shirts, coats, etc)
Fabric off-cuts and sewing scraps
Hats
Wireless bras (including bras with wire removed)
Socks
Linen (bedding, blankets, towels, tea towels, etc)
Fabric mattress protectors (not waterproof/plastic)
Fabric couch covers and curtains
Bathers and swimwear
Wetsuits

Not accepted

Unwashed textiles
Wet or damp textiles (mould sets and the textile cannot be recycled)
Duvets/doonas
Pillows/cushions
Underwear (used panties/briefs)
Cloth nappies
Carpet
Bags, suitcases and duffel bags
Polyurethane leather (fake leather)
Polypropylene bags
Belts
Soft toys
Wired bras

What next

Following this trial event Council will evaluate how it went, what it costs, and explore future drop off events for residents.

Why it matters

Australia is the second biggest textile consumer in the world per capita after the United States, and the average Victorian creates 28kg of textile waste each year. Although around 95 per cent of the clothes sent to landfills could have been reused or recycled, only seven per cent of textile waste is recycled.

Think before you buy

While this event is about recycling, everyone has a role to play in reducing the amount of textiles we consume by thinking carefully before making purchases.

Visit: A clothes revolution - your wardrobe, your power - Edendale Community Environment Farm.

This event is for unwearable textiles. Please donate wearable items locally.