(Hunter Joint Organisation)
Newy 87.8 FM – Around 43,000 tonnes of textiles reach end of life across the Hunter each year, with almost three-quarters ending up in landfill, according to the Hunter Joint Organisation.
The organisation says addressing challenges like this is a key part of its commitment to advancing waste reduction and the circular economy across the region.
As part of the Hunter Circular Value Chain Solutions Project, funded through the NSW EPA's Local Government Waste Solutions program, the Hunter JO recently partnered with nuLoop to host a regional textiles workshop bringing together councils, industry, charities, textile recyclers and other key stakeholders.
More than 30 professionals from councils, health, community research and existing textile recyclers took part, exploring the current textile landscape in the Hunter and across Australia.
Insights were shared by industry leaders including Seamless CEO Ainsley Simpson, BlockTexx cofounder Adrian Jones, Turab Bank from e-Thread and Meriel Chamberlin from The Salvation Army.
Discussions focused on opportunities to improve textile collection, sorting, reuse and recycling, and what is needed to keep more valuable materials in circulation.
Participants also worked together to identify practical collaboration opportunities and potential pilot projects to help reduce textile waste, build local circular economy outcomes and divert more materials from landfill.
The Hunter JO thanked participants and said it looks forward to working with partners to turn the conversations into action.
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