FYI there’s a new clothing pickup service in Australia that recycles your clothing for you

Get your unwanted clothes, shoes and textiles picked up from home.

Just had a wardrobe cleanout but no car? Too busy to get to a drop-off point? Or if you’re just looking for a sign to start clearing out your wardrobe, then consider this is it.

Leading parcel delivery service CouriersPlease and sustainable sock company Manrags have launched a streamlined self-service textile collection. Their collaboration has two aims; to take the hassle out of op shop drop-offs and to celebrate the future of recycling.

No longer a company just pioneering in underwear, this is the second recycling program Manrags has created and it comes off the back of its successful sock recycling program which has saved over 550,000 socks from our garbage bins. (Serious question, who even chucks out socks anyway?) 

Around 60,000 tonnes of unusable donations to charities in Australia are sent to landfill each year, and over $13 million is spent in waste management. Since the launch, Manrags has kept more than 30 tonnes of clothing out of landfill, and during the height of the pandemic received more than 20 tonnes of textiles in just six weeks. Every kilogram saved by Manrags has prevented 3-4 kilos of greenhouse gasses polluting the air. Pretty impressive stuff.

So this weekend, why not pop on those trackies and start sorting through that pile of unwanted clothes you’ve been ignoring during lockdown. Clothes, linen and shoes are all accepted, but no underwear or bras, please. Oh, and make sure to wash everything first.

How does it work?

The new incentive is offered on the Manrags website and is carried out by CourierPlease’s returns service, Boomerang, where you can directly book and schedule a pick-up of your goods at a time of your choice and have them collected from your front door.

These are the steps:

1. Register your details on the Manrags website and purchase your collection for $25. You’re allowed up to 10 kilos of unwanted textiles
2. You will then receive a redemption code which enables you to book through the Boomerang portal
3. Pick a time and day that suits you for collection. A return label will be provided to attach to your package
4. Package up the goods into a box for pick-up. The box must also be sealed and NO GARBAGE BAGS. Yep, that means you’ll have to dig out those moving boxes

You will also receive a $25 credit (score!) the first time you participate, which can be redeemed at the Manrags online store. In addition to the digital textile recycling partnership, CouriersPlease is rolling out a textile recycling point at all manned depots around the country. There will be CouriersPlease and Manrags branded wheelie bins and signage positioned at each depot to educate and encourage the uptake of the recycling program. 

Where do the clothes end up?

Manrags will donate items that are in good condition to various charities, giving your clothes a second lease on life. It’s also partnering with organisations like Ready Set and Sacred Heart Mission, so you can be sure your clothes are going to a great cause.

Items such as ripped jeans and T-shirts can be repurposed into new threads such as tote bags and aprons, and damaged products can be recycled to create new yarn or shredded and used for things like insulation, floor rugs and blankets.

What’s next?

The partnership is the first of several sustainability initiatives CouriersPlease is implementing over the next 12 months, as part of the company’s green focus. 

Michael Elias, the founder and managing director of Manrags, is also thinking long term. “The goal is to prevent 500,000 kilos of greenhouse gas emissions by 2022. Together with CP and their Boomerang service, we believe we can achieve this goal and take giant steps to eradicate textile waste in Australia.”

manrags.com.au