Tuesday, 5th June, is World Environment Day. With the average Aussie buying 27 kilograms of new clothing every year and throwing away 23 kilograms – most of which is destined for landfill, ALEXIS TODOROVSKI, of the SCRgroup, offers advice on how we can all get involved in living more sustainably…
Proactively protecting the environment needs to be at the forefront of our minds, otherwise our planet will continue to deteriorate. When 95 per cent of clothing that gets thrown away could been re-worn, re-purposed or recycled, it’s clear that something needs to be done.
New purchases, recycling, re-using, and up-cycling is where we can all make conscious efforts to do better and ultimately protect our environment.
SCRgroup is one of the country’s largest and most innovative clothing and homewares re-use and recycling companies, we provide advice and easy solutions to combat waste.
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“Looking at the amount of clothing that gets thrown into landfill, we need to share the awareness and knowledge of just how simple and easy it is to make the most of the clothing we already own, as well as how to shop more sustainably – different fabrics, hemlines and clothing shape can all contribute to an abundance of different re-use ideas!”
Committed to bettering the management of Australia’s unforgivable level of waste, SCRgroup is a family owned and operated business established in 2008. Last year, we diverted almost 12 million kilograms of unwanted items from landfill, and 27.4 million unwanted items made it into the hands of people who needed them the most, all around the world.
Looking at the amount of clothing that gets thrown into landfill, we need to share the awareness and knowledge of just how simple and easy it is to make the most of the clothing we already own, as well as how to shop more sustainably – different fabrics, hemlines and clothing shape can all contribute to an abundance of different re-use ideas!
Next time you’re getting rid of unwanted items in your wardrobe, first think of these top tips from SCRgroup to figure out the best way to re-use or dispose of them:
• Look at what you already have and consider what can be altered and re-purposed slightly (or dramatically!) If you’re feeling creative, why not turn denim jeans into a bag, jumpers into a patchwork blanket, or dye light clothing to give it a new lease of life – there’s an abundance of ways you can re-invent your clothing!;
• Be more conscious and keep to a small manageable amount of clothing (it helps when deciding on an outfit too!);
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• Be careful not to over-wash and tumble dry items – this can weaken the fabric and affect the shape of the clothing so make sure you always air dry clothing where possible;
• One man’s trash is another man’s gold, so why not see if friends and neighbours can make use of your unwanted pieces – ‘clothes swapping’ with friends is another option;
• Hold a garage sale for items that are still wearable;
• If you’re short of time and can’t hold a garage sale, why not drop your goods to your local charity shop who will be able to sell your unwanted items to new owners and raise money for charity;
• Take your items to a SCRgroup collection point. We will then sort through your items and direct them either to a new owner or to a recycling facility where the materials can be reused and given a new life. You can find your nearest 24/7 collection point here.
World Environment Day highlights a very important topic and provokes thoughts on how to make more conscious efforts to protect our world. To join SCRgroup in giving Australia’s unwanted things a second life and save our planet from unnecessary damage, visit www.scrg.com.au.
Alexis Todorovski is head of communications for the SCRgroup.
