Ararat's textile recycling program has lifted unwanted clothing capture rates above the national average, with thousands of items now being recovered instead of ending up in local landfill.
Ararat Rural City Council's clothing resource recovery program has achieved a significant increase in local textile recycling, lifting the municipality's capture rate for unwanted clothing and household textiles to 16.5 per cent, compared to an estimated national average of around 12 per cent.
The initiative is delivered in partnership with Recycle Care Australia, a national organisation specialising in textile recovery, reuse, and recycling in collaboration with councils, charities, and industry.
Since collection points were introduced in Ararat in May 2025, the Clothing Resource Recovery Hubs have captured 11,850 kilograms of post‑consumer textiles, diverting an estimated 45,505 individual items from landfill. Over the same period, the program has avoided around 18 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to removing approximately four petrol cars from the road.
Ararat Rural City Council CEO, Dr Tim Harrison, welcomed the early results and said the partnership is another example of regional communities leading practical responses to complex sustainability challenges. "Our community has shown, time and again, that when you give people clear information and convenient options, they will back in new ideas and make them work," Dr Harrison said.
"Lifting textile capture above the national average in the first year of this program is a strong result for a small regional municipality, and it reflects a shared commitment from households, Recycle Care Australia, and our local partners to keep useful materials in circulation for longer. With more promotion, more drop‑off points, and continued community support, I am confident we can push our diversion rate toward the 30 to 40 per cent band that we see in some of the best performing regions internationally."
Council is encouraging residents to continue using the Clothing Resource Recovery Hubs for unwanted clothing, paired shoes, linen, and other household textiles that are clean and dry. Items placed in general waste bins still end up in landfill, where they contribute to unnecessary emissions and resource loss, while textiles dropped into the hubs are assessed for reuse, repair, or recycling wherever suitable options are available.
Drop off during transfer station hours is free.
