Rinse Repair Rewear Trial
Rinse, Repair, Rewear has shown that with a little extra care, thousands of garments can be given a second life instead of ending up in landfill.
Led by Hobart City Mission and supported by the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board, this Australian-first trial tested how washing and repairing donated clothing could recover items that would otherwise be discarded.
The results demonstrated a practical, scalable solution that charity retailers across Australia can adopt to reduce textile waste and increase reuse.
Trial Results
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59% increase in sellable clothing recovered from donations.
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More than 900 garments washed and/or repaired.
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Over $9,000 in additional revenue generated in just six months.
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Up to 10 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided, equivalent to taking four cars off the road.
Download the Handbook
The learnings from the trial have been captured in a practical handbook developed with WRAP, providing a step-by-step guide for charity retailers of all sizes to introduce washing and repair programs into their operations.
Together, we can keep more valuable textiles in use, reduce landfill and build a more circular future for fashion.
Staggering Stats
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Australians buy more new clothing than any other country
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Half of Australian consumers rarely repair clothing
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38% of Australians don’t buy any clothing second hand
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220,000 tonnes of clothing are sent to landfill annually – that’s the equivalent of 88 Olympic-size swimming pools
What can you do to help?
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Donate clean, quality items
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More Op-Shopping (great idea!)
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Repair your own damaged items or get creative and turn them into something new and exciting
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Washing clothes on a colder wash and air drying them will
extend their life (which is also better for the environment and your wallet!) -
Higher quality materials will last longer so you won’t have to replace them as often
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Consider renting clothes for a special occasion rather than buying something you’ll only wear once
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Swap clothes with a friend
The Rinse Repair Rewear trial was supported by the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board, which is funded by the Tasmanian Government.
