News

Charitable Recycling Australia Conference – Brisbane 2023

The 2023 Charitable Recycling Australia Conference will be held at the Pullman King George Square Brisbane on 16-17 October 2023. We’ve booked the amazing Grand Windsor Ballroom that can seat 250 delegates cabaret style, as well as…

Reuse Immersive – Reverse Garbage, Salvos and King Cotton

Charitable Recycling Australia hosted a reuse immersive on Wednesday 2 November with 50 key government policy makers and council stakeholders attending the Monash University presentation on the headline findings from the ARC Research on Measuring…

Charitable Recycling Australia is hiring

Charitable Recycling Australia is hiring! We’re looking for a highly communicative, proactive, professional, energetic and engaging Membership Development & Circular Impact Manager to deliver a bold and ambitious strategic plan to support…

Bingo Industries – NSW Weight Based Billing Tender

Charitable Recycling Australia congratulates Bingo Industries which has been selected as the successful tenderer for the ‘AU-980521 - Multi-site Waste Collection, Recycling and Disposal Contract for Charitable Recycling Organisations’. The…

National e-Stewardship Consultation Process

The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) is seeking responses to the Stewardship for Consumer and Other Electrical and Electronic Products Discussion Paper with submissions closing on Friday 25 February 2022. Click below…

NSW EPA Waste Delivery Plan

The NSW EPA’s Waste Delivery Plan is now finalised and can be accessed on the EPA website.

Sustainability Victoria – Responsible Consumption Consumer Survey

Sustainability Victoria is undertaking a survey to understand people's attitudes and behaviours when it comes to acquiring and getting rid of furniture and clothing, and they are keen for any Australian adult to provide their opinions and experiences…

Clothing Product Stewardship – Stakeholder Engagement Launch

Zoom Town Hall Meeting - Wednesday 2 February at 3pm AEST The Australian Fashion Council and Consortium members - Charitable Recycling Australia, QUT, Sustainable Resource Use and WRAP - invite you to a webinar briefing and stakeholder engagement…

Charitable Impact Data – Now Available By State

Ideal for State Governments and Councils MRA Consulting has drilled down into the datasets of the Charitable Impact Study to identify the impact per state of the charitable reuse and recycling sector. Here are some (rounded) highlights on…

Victorian Textiles Grant Funding – CEBIC

Sustainability Victoria has announced that the Victorian Government will award up to $750,000 in funding for Textiles Innovation and Collaborative Innovation, through the Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC). Textiles Innovation This…

DAWE e-Stewardship Program

The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment commissioned Iceni and Lifecycles to undertake modelling to develop the quantitative foundation to inform the department’s work program on e-stewardship. The work updated…

The State of Second-Hand Clothes and Footwear Trade in Kenya

Kenya is one of the largest importers of second-hand clothes in Sub-Saharan Africa because of its use and export to other countries. The second-hand clothes industry contributes to government revenues. The existence of second-hand clothes is…

DAWE – National eStewardship Initiative

The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) is undertaking an electronic stewardship work program, to tackle the 500,000 tonnes of e-waste generated every year that is projected to grow to nearly one million…

Risk Alert to Australian Landfill – Export Shipping’s Perfect Storm

Over the past few months, the cost of shipping export container freight out of Australia has risen by 150% to 200%, due to supply chain issues, increased prices and a lack of availability of containers. These already inflated prices are expected…

Griffith Uni Yunus Centre – Circular + Impact Economy

The Griffith University Yunus Centre has developed a conceptual framework around ‘Our Circular Economies Mission’ – linking the Circular and Impact economy.

Western Australian Government

The Government of Western Australia has announced its Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 with a vision that Western Australia will become a sustainable, low-waste, circular economy in which human health and the environment are…

NSW EPA Strategic Plan

EPA NSW has announced its new Strategic Plan 2021-24, that sets out its vision for five focus areas over the next three years: Ecological Sustainable Development, Waste, Water Quality, Climate Change, and Legacy and Emerging Contaminants. …

Victorian Government Launches CEBIC

Textiles is a focus area for the Victorian Government in 2021-22. Following an insightful Textiles Workshop hosted by DELWP and Sustainability Victoria, the Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC) has been launched to support…

Australian & NSW Government Recycling Projects

The Australian and New South Wales Governments have announced 22 new ground-breaking recycling projects across metropolitan and regional NSW as part of a $600 million national rollout of recycling infrastructure. Charitable Recycling Australia…

Charitable Impact Report – Average Donations by State

Did you know that the average Australian donates 39kg of goods for reuse to charity each year? 12kg of that is clothing. Which state is the most generous? Tasmania. Tasmanians donate a massive 67kg a year to charity! Charitable Recycling…

Kenyan Reuse Market – An Example to the World

The US-based Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC), the UK’s Textile Recycling Association (TRA) and the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) cite the Kenyan…

Textile Exports – Fate, Benefits and Impact

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Green Growth Initiative highlighted the need for comprehensive collection, reuse and recycling of used textiles as part of a growing circular economy. A major study in close cooperation with the 13 largest…

Social Media Launch

Charitable Recycling Australia is building a social media profile with the launch of an Instagram page in October 2021. Our objectives are to: Increase awareness among young consumers on the positive impacts of charitable reuse and the…

Monash University – Circular Economy through the lens of a T-Shirt

The Monash Sustainable Development Institute has created a best practice guide to the circular economy, through the lens of a T-Shirt.

Member Network Activation Kits Coming Soon

Charitable Recycling Australia will soon be distributing 'Network Activation Kits' to all members, including social media tiles, EDM headers and in-store poster creatives using key datasets from the Charitable Impact Report to help members…

Charitable Recycling Australia Launches New Retail Advisory Group

Charitable Recycling Australia is pleased to announce that Brian Walker, CEO at The Retail Doctor Group, Peter Knock, Director at Peter Knock Consultancy and John Elliott, Founder at Looptworks have been appointed as inaugural members of the…

EPA NSW Delivers Resources for Charities to Tackle Dumping

The EPA NSW has developed a range of education materials to remind people to donate responsibly. NSW charitable recyclers spend millions of dollars annually disposing of donations dumped outside their doors and collection bins. The education…

Government to invest $1 million in the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund.

Charitable Recycling Australia was one of three organisations invited to present at the National Clothing Textiles Waste Roundtable at Parliament House in Canberra, along with the Australian Fashion Council and WRAP. Hosted by the Hon.…

Impact Report Key Findings – Charitable Recycling Diverts Over 1 Million Tonnes of Waste from Landfill.

Charitable Recycling Australia commissioned independent market researchers MRA Consulting to measure the triple bottom line impact of the charitable reuse and recycling network – and the findings were launched at the National Clothing Textiles…

Monash University Grant to Reset Australia’s Post-COVID Material Economy along Sustainable Lines

Monash University has been awarded an Australian Research Council Linkage Projects Grant to measure the benefits of reuse in the circular economy. “The COVID-19 crisis has shown how vulnerable our society and economy is on globalised commodity…

1 July 2020 waste levy increase deferred for six months

,
To assist businesses in dealing with the financial impacts of COVID-19, the Queensland Government will be deferring the increase of waste levy rates originally scheduled to take effect from 1 July 2020. A six month deferral to 1 January 2021…

Charity Shops Call for Responsible Approach to Donating under COVID-19

Whilst more Australians impacted by COVID-19 are finding themselves in dire need, many charity op shops are being forced to close, creating a perfect storm. Funding is down but calls for assistance up.

Recycling Program Opportunities

,
New recycling program opportunities are available via the State Government, including funding and grants.

Clothing Textiles Roadmap Solution

NACRO has a vision for a Circular Textiles Economy, and it begins with the overarching perspective that clothing textiles donated to charities are a resource, not a waste. Clothing textiles are a valuable resource in Australia’s economy,…

VIC Responsible Donating Campaign

,
NACRO has launched a Victorian campaign on responsible donating targeting consumers, through radio and posters. The positive reinforcement campaign with a tagline of ‘Be Part of the Solution’ seeks to inform and inspire consumers to donate…

Charitable Impact Measurement – Textiles

NACRO has funded a critical piece of research to demonstrate the social, environmental and economic impacts of charitable reuse and recycling, using the case study of clothing textiles. Understanding the impact of NACRO member activities…

NSW Weight Based Billing

,
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has entered into a Partnership Agreement with NACRO for the development of a suite of tender documents for waste and recycling management services under a Weight Based Billing system.…

Federal Inquiry into Waste & Recycling

NACRO commends the Federal Government on its inquiry into innovation in the Waste and Recycling Industries. NACRO has lodged a submission on the role of the charitable reuse and recycling sector as pioneers of the Circular Economy and key…

WA Charitable Recyclers Dumping Reduction Program – Applications Open Now

,
The Western Australian Charitable Recyclers Dumping Reduction Program (CRDRP) supports charitable recyclers that divert used items from landfill and recover them for recycling and reuse. The program aims to reduce illegal dumping and littering,…

Tasmania Reveals New Draft Waste Action Plan

,
NACRO applauds the Tasmanian Government’s new draft Waste Action Plan. Tasmania’s commitment to move towards a Circular Economy is exciting, with opportunities to scale and accelerate the reuse, recycling, repair and resource recovery activities…

Griffith University wins $347,000 research grant to promote responsible donating

NACRO is delighted to announce that Griffith University have won a $347,000 Australian Research Council Linkage Grant social media grant to promote responsible donating. This is supported with an additional investment by the Department of Environment…

MRA Consulting & Shop for Shops Confirmed as Major Sponsors of 2019 NACRO Conference

Nacro is excited to announce 2 new major sponsors for the upcoming Annual Conference. Day One Sponsor - Recycling/Reuse - MRA Consulting MRA is sponsor of Day One of the Conference. They are one of Australia’s leading environmental Consultancy…

Zero Waste Network Collective Impact Measurement Project to now include Charity Op Shops

NACRO members are the original circular economy experts. We divert waste from landfill, generate funds to support the community, and create thousands of voluntary and paid positions around the country. However, we know very little about…

Victorian Government Commits to Developing a Circular Economy Policy

,
NACRO commends the Victorian Government on its commitment to developing a circular economy policy and the release of its Issues Paper for consultation. NACRO is delighted to submit the attached feedback outlining the importance of the charitable…

NSW EPA Releases New Application for Exemption

,
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has released a new application for the Community Service Exemption from the NSW Waste Levy. A downloadable PDF called ‘Community Service Exemption Guidelines – Completing an Application’…

Victorian Circular Economy Paper

,
NACRO Incorporating Zero Waste Network has been invited to provide feedback to the Victorian Government’s Circular Economy issues paper released this week. Charitable reuse, recycling and retail organisations are perfectly positioned…

NACRO Integrates Zero Waste Network to Promote Charitable Reuse and Recycling in Australia

Today, NACRO’s offer to integrate and merge the Zero Waste Network’s assets, services and influence into NACRO was formally completed. In announcing the integration, Omer Soker, CEO of NACRO said ‘The combined value proposition…

The Tasmanian Government Releases New Waste Action Plan

,
NACRO is looking forward to providing feedback on behalf of the charitable reuse, recycling and retail sector, and working closely with EPA Tasmania. NACRO is pleased to see a commitment to support and accelerate charitable reuse and recycling…

NACRO to Incorporate Zero Waste Network

NACRO’s formal offer to integrate and merge the Zero Waste Network’s assets, members and influence into NACRO has been approved by the ZWN board and ratified by its members with overarching enthusiasm. Both are not-for-profit charitable…

NACRO Annual Conference

Join leaders of the charitable recycling sector for the most important and thought-provoking two days of the year - at the NACRO Annual Conference at the Pullman Albert Park Melbourne on 14-15 October 2019. Take a look at the Conference…

New Waste Levy Waiver for SA

,
Following representations to the South Australian Government and collaborative discussions with the EPA and Green Industries, NACRO is delighted that the Hon Rob Lucas, Treasurer of SA, has announced that a 50% reduction on the levy will…

Annual Nacro Conference 2019

Expanding on last year’s theme which saw a fully sold out conference and 100% satisfaction from attending delegates, the NACRO Annual Conference 2019 promises to be even bigger and better.

Deakin University finds a solution to closing the loop for denim

Frontier Materials (IFM) will put a new spin on vintage denim jeans, all in the name of reducing the huge environmental impact in the life cycle of the world’s most popular clothing item...

The Recycling Industry Unites According to ACOR

Australia’s recycling industry is concerned that Sunday’s 60 Minutes program didn’t paint the full picture of Australia’s recycling efforts and didn’t highlight the industry’s contribution of some 50,000 jobs and $15 billion in value,…

NACRO Lobbies Govt to increase reuse & recycling initiatives

NACRO calls on all State Governments to invest just $10 for each tonne of waste charities deal with each year, into three proven interventions to tackle dumping at charities, to increase reuse and recycling initiatives in the charitable recycling…

NACRO launches a new policy position & 3-point plan

NACRO launches a new policy position and 3-point plan to tackle dumping at charities, to increase reuse and recycling in the charitable recycling sector, and to educate consumers on responsible donations. Omer Soker, CEO of NACRO was invited…

Dressed by Vinnies Day

Dressed by Vinnies is held any day that works for your school or organisation but one suggestion is National Dressed by Vinnies day on 26 October. Prior to the event all participants need to visit a local Vinnies shop and purchase any item…

Australian Waste – Time for a New Story

It’s time to start telling a different story about Australia’s waste industry. That the China ban in fact represents the massive incentive our country needs to start looking for solutions. And more and more stakeholders are contributing…

Buy It Back Day

Buy It Back Day (BIBD) is on Saturday 17 November this year as part of National Recycling Week (November 12-18), and encourages people to buy second hand or buy products containing recycled content. Organised by Planet Ark. For more, read…

More Recycling Equals Less Tax

More recycling from NSW households could reduce taxes by up to $250 million per year or some $100 per household, according to the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR). Speaking at the Keep NSW Beautiful “Sustainable Cities Seminar”…

NACRO Strategy and Positioning 2019

NACRO has announced its new strategy with four key objectives, along with a three-tier, data-driven media and engagement positioning strategy. 1). Reduce illegal/unintentional dumping and increase reuse/recycling in collaboration with governments. 2).…

Charities Spending Millions on Waste

Charities in Australia spend $13 million on waste management each year, sending 60,000 tonnes of unusable donations; that have no value and can't be recycled; as waste to landfill every year. On the positive side, charities divert over 500,000…

NACRO on ABC News Breakfast

Omer Soker, CEO of NACRO was invited onto ABC News Breakfast to discuss responsible donations and how Australian consumers can help charities maximise the value of their donations into social welfare programs. Watch the video here.

$1.75 Million Reasons to Donate to Charity

A Canadian man’s sister had told him it was time to sift through his bulging closet and donate unused old clothing to a charity. That's when he stumbled on the $1,750,000 winning lottery ticket, which he had purchased last year. The benefits…

EPA NSW Illegal Dumping Grants

,
Illegal dumping grant applications are now open and close on 5pm 30 October 2018. The NSW EPA is seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) from community groups on projects that identify local illegal dumping hotspots and have planned clean-up…

Charity Fraud Awareness Week

This week is Charity Fraud Awareness Week (22 October to 26 October), an international initiative designed to raise awareness about fraud in the charity sector, and share best practice solutions in tackling fraud and financial crime. For…

Fake Charity Scams

For Charity Fraud Awareness Week, Scamwatch has revealed that charities are losing out on more than $320,000 in donations due to fake charity scams. Scamwatch is appealing to donors to be wary of fake charities or people impersonating real charities.…

NACRO Conference Delegates 100% Satisfied

All of the delegates who packed out the QT Gold Coast conference facility said they were 100% satisfied with the NACRO Conference. Huge thanks to all the speakers and panellists including Craig Reucassel, Mike Ritchie, Pete Shmigel, Brian Walker,…

Australian Circular Fashion Conference

The Australian Circular Fashion Conference (ACFC) is Australasia’s leading business event on sustainability in fashion. Following the success of the inaugural event last year, ACFC 2019 is a call to action to the industry to implement fashion…

Garage Sale Trail

Garage Sale Trail is Australia's biggest weekend of garage sales, and is happening on October 20 & 21 this year. Over 400,000 Australians will hit the streets that weekend in search of pre-loved bargains.  The event which aims to encourage…

What’s Inside My Wardrobe?

What's inside your wardrobe? This fun, fashionable and thought-provoking event is free to everyone interested in how our fashion shopping choices can change the world! A fabulous line up of panelists talk about sustainability and ethical…

October is Buy Nothing New Month

Buy Nothing New Month is the brainchild of Tamara DiMattina, who Fairfax call ‘PR to The Planet’. It started in Melbourne and is spreading to the Netherlands and USA. It's a one month challenge to buy nothing new (with the exception of essentials…

The Future of Recyling

The 'Future of Recycling' is the theme for NACRO's Annual Conference, to be held at QT Gold Coast from 15-16 October 2018. The Event Program has been finalised and boasts the best line-up of speakers, sessions, panels and thought-provoking insights…

Op Shop Tips from Elle Magazine

In  abeautifully titled article 'Fashion But Make it Second Hand', Elle Australia presents 10 useful op shopping tips from women who only buy second hand. For tips one to ten, read on.

Yes, Even Supermodels Go Op Shopping

Supermodel Helena Christensen says shops in thrift shops. Female First in the UK have her quoting "I shop at second-hand stores and online. I find much more joy in finding pieces that have been lived-in and are unique". Spread the word. Op shopping…

E-waste Exports Highlight Need for Tighter Controls

Reports that a defunct computer screen dropped at an Australian retailer for recycling was shipped to a junkyard in Thailand have renewed calls for Australia to get serious about e-waste controls, with calls for Australia to support international…

Trash Taxi Services – The App Waste Future

We use our phones to do everything from delivering our favorite late night cravings to tracking our exercise. So why can't we use the technology we engage with on a regular basis to do something good for the planet? Recycle Track Systems works…

Rubbish to Energy in Sweden

Sweden "recycles nearly all of its waste" and in doing so "generates electricity and heating". So should Australia become more like Sweden and make our waste useful? Sweden has banned most landfill and has invested heavily with 34 waste-to-energy…

France Targets 100% Plastics Recycling

Vive La France. France will roll out a series of measures to accelerate President Emmanuel Macron's goal of reaching 100% plastic recycling by 2025. Junior Environment Minister Brune Poirson added "Declaring war on plastic is not enough. We…

Smarter e-Waste Urban Mining

Janet Gunter, co-founder of The Restart Project estimates that 1,000 Titanics’ worth of discarded electronics is dumped in the UK, with much of it extremely toxic if mishandled. In 2017, the United Nations University’s Global E-waste Monitor…

Recycling Denim into Insulation

An American company is in the business of turning blue things into green, and giving new life to jeans. Its an example of effective down cycling, with the former garment not recycled for more fashion use, but to meet commercial demand for insulation…

What to Do with Apparel Too Dirty to Donate

The Council for Textile Recycling in the USA estimates that 10,000 tonnes of textiles, in the form of clothes, shoes, accessories, manchester and accessories ends up in landfill. That's 37kg on average of every person. How to divert these unusable…

EPA NSW Product Improvement Grants

,
The EPA NSW's Product Improvement Program is open to applications, with individual grants of $50,000 to $1 million available. The program supports co-investment in infrastructure projects that aim to improve the quality of recycled materials, …

NACRO Conference – Draft Agenda Announced

The leaders of the charitable recycling sector will be on the Gold Coast during 15-16 October, attending the NACRO Annual Conference 2018. Join them – register today. 90% of members said they want to know the Future of Recycling. So that’s…

Vinnies NSW Launches Second Bulk Container Sorting Facility

,
Vinnies NSW has launched a second Bulk Container Deposit Centre as part of the state’s container deposit scheme. The Unanderra facility can process up to 100,000 containers per day, and complements existing over-the-counter sites and reverse…

Second-hand really is the New ‘New’

Even in the luxury market. The meteoric rise of resale sites such as TrueFacet and Tradesy that provide dedicated environments for buying and selling pre-owned prestige watches and jewellery by offering guarantees of authenticity, has been…

NACRO Invited on WA’s Container Deposit Scheme Advisory Board

,
The Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Environment has invited NACRO to join Western Australia’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) Advisory Group. Ro Richardson of the Western Australian Department of Environment Regulation gave NACRO members…

How ThreadUp Can Digitally Disrupt Op Shops

ThredUp is an online retail platform seeking to reinventing second-hand shopping by disintermediating op shops and sending clothes direct to consumers. As Australian op shops look to develop their online offerings, ThredUp needs to be on the…

New Income Opportunities in e-Waste

Forget panning for gold or extracting copper ore. A new study shows that recovering metals from discarded electronics, a process known as urban mining, is far less expensive than mining them the traditional way. In 2016 alone, the world discarded…

Transparent Bins to Bring Clarity to Waste

For most people, once they lift the lid and throw their rubbish in the wheelie bin, their household waste is out of sight, out of mind. Gunther Hoppe, chief executive of the Mindarie Regional Council in Western Australia is hoping to challenge…

What Can Australia Learn from the World’s Best and Worst Recyclers?

Germany and Wales have seemingly mastered their waste problem. They could help Australia as it grapples with China's ban on contaminated recyclable material. Having set an ambitious target to achieve zero waste by 2030, Wales could soon overtake…

Time for a Long-term Rethink on Recycling

Emergency measures in response to China's ban on foreign waste, like stockpiling, landfilling or trying to find other international destinations for our recycling are not sustainable long-term solutions. We need a broad debate on a long-term…

ACOR’s $150 Million Plan to Fix Recycling

The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) has laid out a roadmap that starts with harmonising bins nationally ($28M), upgrading sorting centres ($33M), developing more factories to produce paper pulp and plastic pellets ($57M), using raw materials…

Greens $500 Million Industry Blueprint

In the lead up to the Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM), the Greens released an industry blueprint on waste recycling, designed to expand the Australian waste management system to replace the need to export recyclables. The Greens want…

Meeting of Environment Ministers

At the Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) on 27 April 2017 the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Energy and the Environment Minister from each Australian state and territory agreed to:. • Reduce the amount of waste and make…

NACRO Feedback Survey

Have your say about NACRO in this short, easy multiple-choice survey. Your feedback on how we’re performing, what your needs are and what NACRO’s key priorities should be will help inform our strategy for 2018-19. We are developing an ambitious…

Queensland to Reintroduce Waste Levy

,
The Queensland Government has confirmed plans to reintroduce a waste levy in a bid to stop interstate waste entering the state. Full details have yet to be released but the Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has suggested that it may likely be around…

Farewell and welcome NACRO’s new CEO

After nine years, my team and I are stepping down from managing the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations. It has been an honour to serve the association and a privilege to work with a wonderful series of Chairs, namely…

Salvos link dropping donations to social media

Chief Executive of Salvos Stores, Matt Davis, said in a recent interview that the stark drop in donations — especially second-hand furniture — due to platforms such as Facebook and Gumtree is of concern. “Over the past 18 months we’ve…

Over 4,700 Collection Bins across New York to disclose purpose

,
New York State Attorney General recently announced that over 4,700 donation collection bins throughout New York now disclose whether clothing or other items deposited in those bins are used for charitable or for-profit purposes in compliance…