‘Give a Sheet®’ recycling event collects more than four tonnes of textiles

More than four tonnes of linen and clothing has been spared from landfill and will be given new life, through the ‘Give a Sheet® for the Planet’ textile recycling event celebrating World Environment Day. 

Neighbours, families, friends, and retirement village residents teamed up to drop off their old linen in bulk.

Noosa and Sunshine Coast residents dropped off a combined 2.8 tonnes of clothing and 1.5 tonnes of linen at two drop-off locations – Tewantin State School and Chancellor State College.

“Thank-you to everyone, across both local government areas, who contributed to the success of this year’s event,” Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart said.

“Noosa locals dropped off 1.6 tonnes of clothing at Tewantin State School, to be distributed by Vinnies, and 818kg of donated linen which will be remanufactured by BlockTexx into valuable resources for new products,” Cr Stewart said.

Sunshine Coast Council Liveability and Environment Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez thanked everyone who Gave a Sheet at the Sippy Downs drop off-point.

“In just four hours the Sunshine Coast site at Chancellor State College collected approximately 16.2 cubic metres of linen, clothes and towels from 70 cars,” she said.

“It was a fun morning with a great vibe and I’d like to send a big thank-you to those who took the time to donate and for the volunteers for their help on the morning. 

“Chancellor State College primary and secondary team rescued three cubic metres of towels to deliver to needy animal refuges and vets. 

“Around nine cubic metres of quality clothing was donated to Vinnies to be reused in our community. 

It’s the second year Noosa has joined forces with BlockTexx to hold their Give a Sheet® for the Planet event, Mayor Clare Stewart said it was great to see the community make the most of the opportunity to clear out their linen cupboards in an environmentally responsible way.

“This year we noticed neighbours, families, friends and retirement village residents working together and gathering all of their old linen up and making large bulk drops on the day,” Cr Stewart said.

“Across both our local government areas, everyone who took part has helped give new life to materials that might have otherwise ended up contributing unnecessarily to landfill.”

Vinnies Executive Officer Lisa Baker said the Give a Sheet® event had turned waste and preloved clothes into opportunity.

"By supporting our donation drive, our donors have played a vital role in safeguarding the environment through recycling and reuse initiatives, as well as providing essential assistance to individuals and communities in their time of need,” Ms Baker said.

Tonia Bastyan of BlockTexx said the event was a great opportunity to engage with residents and explain how their old household linen will be recycled.

“Everyone was relieved to know that their donations would be converted into valuable resources onshore, diverting it from landfill or export,” she said.