<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-22/pressure-on-fabric-recycling-system-and-local-op-shops/104103836>
'Op-shop operators are worried they will need to spend more money sending
donated clothes to landfill as fabric recycling firms abroad hit capacity.
In Australia, only about 10 per cent of items donated to op shops make it to
store floors, with those rejected in too poor a condition to sell.
It means stores need to find a way to dispose of unsellable clothing, with many
sending it to recycling firms where the fabric is given a second life.
The Anglican Belltower Op Shop in Mount Gambier in regional South Australia
uses a firm called Statewide Cleaning Cloths, which takes fabric and turns it
into cleaning cloths sent across the world.
But volunteer Trudy-Anne Doyle recently received a letter saying the company
would no longer be taking stock from Australian stores.
"If you can't send it to Statewide it's not good enough to sell and we're not
selling everything we put out to sale anyway. Then it's going to go to
landfill," she said.
"Our immediate response has been to unpack what we were going to send to
Statewide and put it on a free rack and see if the public might take it.
"But our prices are [already] pretty low and the public may not want it."
Ms Doyle said she wanted to avoid sending clothes to landfill, but op shops
receive so many donations they may have no choice.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
