MK Council Member, Annie visited Northern Ireland recently. We asked her to share some of the stories that inspired her.
What inspired you on your trip?
When I was visiting friends for Christmas in Northern Ireland in the UK, I had a pair of ripped jeans in my luggage after spending a month travelling. They weren’t ripped to look fashionable, they were so ripped that they were not wearable. I sheepishly asked my friend who lives in Northern Ireland if she knew of a place that might recycle my ripped jeans. She laughed and said of course, we have been recycling textiles for decades!!! 😱 I was in shock as there little to no textile waste recycling in Western Australia. My friend simply took my jeans down to the local government recycling centre. If recycling is hard for consumers, they simply won’t do it! I’m very impressed with Northern Ireland and their recycling programs and how easy they make it.
What are you doing to reduce your waste footprint?
My project is to reduce waste in my home. So far, I send textile waste to Upparel in Victoria, I refill dry goods at Wasteless Pantry, I only shop consignment and purchase natural fabrics for clothing and I refill my liquids products for the shower at Skipping Stones mobile refillery.
What other textile recycling is there in WA?
We found Perth Community Clothing Recycling Wholesaler . Check them out here.
