Minister for Environment, Madeleine Ogilvie, said the trial is believed to be the first in Australia by a charity retailer to systematically test the washing, repair and resale of donated clothing with this level of visibility, structure and data collection.
"Too often, clothing and other textiles are discarded before their useful life is over," Minister Ogilvie said.
"Australians buy around 56 items of clothing per person each year, making us one of the highest consumers of textiles in the world. Nationally, more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing end up in landfill each year.
"By combining in store repair, structured assessment of donated garments and detailed data collection to support repeatability, Rinse, Repair and Rewear is breaking new ground in how the charity retail sector can extend the life of textiles and reduce waste."
Chair of the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board, Pam Allan, said early results from the trial are already encouraging.
"In the first sampling audit, 2,945 items of clothing weighing 728 kilograms were sorted, with 56 per cent of items recovered for repair and/or washing," Professor Allan said.
"That equates to 412 kilograms of textiles diverted from landfill or being downcycled as rags in just a single audit. These are early results, but they show there is significant untapped value in donated clothing.
"Textiles may represent a relatively small proportion of landfill by weight, but they carry a high environmental and economic cost. Clothing is resource intensive to produce, and extending its life delivers real circular economy benefits."
The project is supported through landfill levy funding, and brings together Hobart City Mission, the Waste and Resource Action Programme, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, Seamless and other partners to test how donated clothing can be kept in use for longer.
Taryn Townsend, Project Manager at Hobart City Mission, said the trial is already changing how people think about donated clothing.
"The Rinse, Repair and Rewear workshop gives volunteers at our Moonah Mega Store a dedicated space to repair items in full view of customers," Ms Townsend said.
"That visible, practical element matters. It helps make repair feel normal, accessible and valued again, while also building skills, confidence and pathways into training and work.
"The potential impact is significant. If approaches like this can be scaled, it could keep millions of items out of landfill over time."
Beyond textile recovery, the trial is expected to deliver broader community benefits by developing practical repair skills, improving employability, strengthening reuse capability, and increasing access to affordable, good quality clothing for Tasmanians.
"Rinse, Repair and Rewear shows what the circular economy looks like in practice," Minister Ogilvie said.
"The Tasmanian Government is delivering for Tasmanians by working together with local partners, local volunteers, real data - and more textiles kept in use for longer."
