Policy

Click on link to access reports and submissions

Recycling collection bin use and operation

The use and operation of recycling and household items clothing recycling collection bin

Members of NACRO believe that a prominently located recycling collection bin is currently the most effective method of collecting post consumer waste. Today there are thousands of clothing recycling collection bins located across Australia on council, school and church grounds. However, if not managed properly or abused by the public, many council are concerned about the shortcomings of this system. To that end, NACRO has developed an endorsed criterion for the use and operation of recycling and household items clothing recycling collection bins. The purpose of this code of practice is to provide councils with guidelines for the placement and location of clothing recycling collection bins on land owned, controlled and/or vested in a given council and to provide them with the established criteria for the use and operation of these bins.

A copy of NACRO’s endorsed criteria for the use and operation of recycling and household items clothing recycling collection bins can be Found Here: Policy Operation of donation bins January 2009

National Waste Policy

Managing Waste to 2020

In November 2008 the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Hon Peter Garrett MP, announced that the Australian Government, with the support of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council, would lead the development of a new national waste policy for Australia.

The purpose of developing a new national waste policy is to identify best practice in waste management and resource recovery and to ensure that Australia has the right mix of incentives and regulation to achieve environmental, economic and community benefits.

A Waste Policy Taskforce was formed within the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to consult widely among the community, business and government and to develop a draft national waste policy for consideration by Australian governments.

NACRO, on behalf of its members has contributed to the shaping of this national policy via a detailed submission which provided feedback to a number of issues. A copy of this submission can be Found Here: Waste Submission to the national Waste Policy Enquiry May 2009

Victorian Landfill Levy Relief Program

“In May 2012, the Victorian Coalition Government announced a $2 million plan to help charitable recyclers fight back against the unfair burden of illegal dumping at their outlets. Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith said the funding would support efforts to both reduce dumping and help charities cover the cost of disposing of waste. Under the 12-month funding agreement the National Association for Charitable Recycling Organisations (NACRO) will work with the Victorian Coalition Government on constructive solutions and an ongoing model to assist charities with the costs of unwanted waste.” Media release by The Hon Ryan Smith MP Minister for Environment and Climate Change Minister for Youth Affairs – Tuesday 8 May 2012

The Victorian Government is encouraging charitable recyclers to apply now for grants that provide immediate financial relief from costs associated with disposing of rubbish illegally dumped on their premises.

“Our $2 million package for charities includes $500,000 for efforts to help charities stem the flow of illegally dumped waste and $1.5 million for landfill levy relief for the rubbish they are left with no choice but to send to landfill,” said Mr Smith.

This program is being administered by the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations from 1st July 2012 until 30th June 2013. Click through here for more information.

Sources of Textile Waste in Australia

The Technical Textiles & Nonwoven Association recently produced a discussion paper on “Sources of Textile Waste in Australia” which outlines the issues, questions and scope of the problems of textile waste, while providing insight into the potential economic and environmental benefits that re-use of textile waste as a resource may offer.

The report concludes that the business of regenerating pre-consumer and post-consumer waste in Australia is promising, with the potential to found a new industry and green jobs whilst simultaneously mitigating land fill and providing green inputs to external industries such as the automotive industry.

A copy of TTNA’s report on Sources of Textile Waste can be Found Here: Report Sources of Textile Waste in Australia

Sustainability

The multi-billion dollar worldwide recycling industry performs a vital social and environmental function. The industry has no peer in terms of conserving the world’s resources while the various stages of the recycling process provide significant employment around the world.

Charitable recycling of post-consumer waste (mainly used clothing and household goods) is one of the oldest recycling industries in Australia. By world standards, it is a unique system through which tonnes of post consumer waste is diverted from landfill and redistributed to men, women and children overwhelmed by life’s hardships, or sold to assist in the charitable works of the organsations who have invested in the recycling infrastructure. It is a valuable service to all Australians.

There is increasing recognition by informed councils of the contribution charity shops make in reducing the volume of items that go to landfill, and a number of local authorities are now counting the volume of second-hand goods sent for reuse and recycling that can be measured towards their recycling targets. Without charity shops and processing facilities providing for large-scale reuse and recycling, these unwanted items would inevitably find their way into the waste stream to be treated by local authorities as household waste.

It is estimated that between 80-100 million kilos of textile waste is collected by Australian charitable recyclers through clothing recycling collection bins and donations of material at no cost to councils or government. Much of this material can be reclaimed and recirculated through charity shops or reprocessed into functional textiles. Through the efforts of the charitable recycling organisations, approximately 75 percent of the collected post-consumer waste is diverted from our landfills and recycled domestically or forwarded to third world countries providing clothing to many of the poorest people in the World.

Recycling is a practice through which everyone can make a difference to the environment. The journey of a piece of clothing does not always end at the landfill. Garments or household goods can effectively be recycled by sale or gifted to another user. Of the post consumer waste recovered by charities;

60 percent consists of items of clothing that can be reworn or reused
15 percent can be torn into industrial wiper cloths, and
25 percent is unusable and sent to landfill.

Recycling of second hand goods is by means of community donations deposited into charity clothing recycling collection bins, thousands of which are located across Australia, and/or drop-offs directly to charity shops.

NACRO