Local residents now have a better way to dispose of their unwanted clothing and textiles, with Orange City Council having begun a 12-month free textile recycling trial at the Ophir Road Resource Recovery Centre (ORRRC).

The trial is being conducted in partnership with Nowra-based textile recycling company RRR Australia. Textile items, including clothing and underwear, shoes and leather goods, bed linen, blankets, towels and bathmats, in any condition, can be taken to the drop-off area at the Community Recycling Centre (CRC), near the Recovery Shop.

But damp items, dirty or greasy items, or items with filling such as cushions, pillows, doonas and puffer jackets will not be accepted, says Council.

RRR Australia will then recycle the disposed textiles in one of several ways, with good-condition items reused, while other items may be cut up and sold as rags for cleaning, or broken down to make new items such as indoor and outdoor rugs and mats.

The 12-month trial period will be free for residents, being funded by Orange City Council out of the Waste Services budget. Council will then review the situation next year and determine whether to continue the service based on volumes, cost and diversion from landfill achieved.

If successful, Council says the program could be expanded across all NetWaste member councils.

“I think it's fantastic that we're giving it a go and hopefully it's going to turn into an ongoing service,” Orange City Council Environmental Sustainability Community Committee Chair, Cr David Mallard said.

“Our landfill is a major expense as well as being one of the major resource issues that we've got to deal with. So the more we eliminate things from going into landfill - whether that's food and garden waste, or in this case textiles - that's alleviating pressure in terms of the long-term financial picture for Council.”

Every year, more than 220,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfills across Australia. Cr Mallard urged people to think of all the ways they can reduce what they send to landfill.

“That can include repairing things or getting someone else to repair it… Can you donate it through the appropriate channels so that an ‘op shop’ can sell it,” he said.

“We all need to keep trying to reduce waste and move towards a more circular economy, thinking about the different ways we can use things before they go to either the rubbish or recycling.

“It’s a simple step that makes a big difference for our environment and future generations.”

Other waste items that can be dropped off free at the Community Recycling Centre include gas bottles, fire extinguishers, chemical drums, batteries (household and car), paint tins, oils, and e-waste.

The Ophir Road Resource Recovery Centre is open daily from 8am to 5pm.