Textile Recycling
Edendale has a Textile Recovery Bin in our top car park (open 10am - 4:30pm every day, excluding between Christmas and New Year), and there is also one at the Nillumbik Reuse Shop (290 Yan Yean Road, Plenty, access 8am–3.30pm daily, closed public holidays)
Upcycle 4 Better recovers textiles to divert them from landfill. They strive to ensure that materials are used for their lowest environmental impact, not destroyed in the name of innovation and recycling. Textiles are shipped to the Upcycle 4 Better factory in Malaysia for processing,
- Used items must be washed and clean.
- Ideally put items in a plastic bag to avoid cross contamination.
What can you put in the textile Recovery Bin?
- Clothing – including leather, sportswear, swimwear, sleepwear, formal
- Accessories – belts, ties, bows, purses, hats, caps, backpacks, briefcases, scarves, shawls
- Shoes – including leather, boots, gumboots, runners, rubber flip flops
- Home Textiles – tea towels, table cloths, bath towels, linens, curtains
- Underwear – bras, socks, boxers
- Other – soft toys
What can you NOT put in the textile Recovery Bin?
- No doonas, pillows, mattress protectors
- No disposable non wovens (medical overalls, facemasks)
- No plastic toys, books and other non textile good
- Reusable nappies
- Tents
- Company uniforms with badges, brands, etc - please contact Upcycle 4 Better for recycling options
- No damp items
What if I want my textiles recycled locally?
A second life for your quality old and unwanted textiles may be found through friends and family, clothes swaps, local Op shops and charities.
Op shops and charities will only be able to make use of or sell the best quality pre-loved textiles, and even those do not always find a new life in Australia. Upcycle 4 Better works with many of these organisations to ensure the textiles they can’t find a second life for are channelled into the Upcycle 4 Better’s supply chain and diverted from landfill.
Note: The collection of textiles at Edendale is for the general public and not for large commercial volumes from charities and businesses. Please contact Upcycle 4 Better directly for tailored solution to these larger volumes at
More about Upcycle 4 Better:
What is Upcycle 4 Better?
Upcycle 4 Better (SCCA) is a program across Australia, Malaysia and Singapore that aims to divert textiles from landfill by sorting them to find new life at their highest value and advocates for reducing our textile consumption, rewearing and reusing what we have, renewing and repairing items and finally recycling.
The business is Australian owned and operated and promotes overseas partnerships for a global solution to textile waste. The company works with schools, councils, corporates, recyclers and charities to create opportunities for everyone to show improved stewardship of our environment.
What happens to the textiles after they are collected?
The textiles are packaged and shipped to Upcycle 4 Better’s factory in Port Klang Malaysia where the materials are initially sorted into a hierarchy of 4 categories
1.Wearable into over 500 categories so that clothes are distributed where they are needed
2.Repairable to be polished, mended or refreshed to serve a new life
3.Upcyclable / repurposable for materials that are of good quality
4.Recyclable including rubber shoes
Recyclable items are deconstructed to remove all zips, buttons and trims that will be sent to their own recycling streams (for example metal components are melted for reuse in other industries)
Approximately 55% of the textiles donated receive a second life for export worldwide as affordable textiles.
The other 45% is recycled into mechanically separated fibres for mats, blankets, bags, wiper materials, refurbishment, repair, upcycled, or waste to energy
Zero textiles from this process go to landfill, as the small percentage of non recyclable materials are used as waste to energy in local industries
Waste to energy is seen as a last resort for textiles that can’t be recycled through one of the other 500+ streams. Upcycle 4 Better does not advocate waste to energy as a recycling solution. It is only used as a means to reduce waste to landfill as a last resort for non-processable materials.
Why are textiles sent overseas and not processed in Australia?
There are currently no textile recycling facilities based in Australia that can recycle 100% of the textiles ensuring zero textiles end up in landfill. The Port Klang facility in Malaysian where the textiles are sent for processing is Australian operated and a part of the SCCA group of companies
Upcycle 4 Better’s facility in Port Klang Malaysian is ISO14001:2015 (Environmental Management Systems) accredited and has annual audits against this standard.
Upcycle 4 Better can be contacted directly via the contact tab on their website:https://www.upcycle4better.com.au/
Video on Upcycle 4 Better's Malaysia operation