Maroondah City Council

Maroondah City Council is a community-focused local government spanning Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. With sustainability embedded in their operations, the council sought a practical, community-centred solution to textile waste—one that supported circularity, reduced landfill reliance, and engaged residents in positive behaviour change.

The council identified several growing issues:

• Increasing household textile waste ending up in kerbside bins
• The need for an accessible, reliable recycling solution for residents
• Pressure to meet sustainability targets and reduce landfill contributions

Maroondah City Council partnered with UPPAREL to develop a community textile recycling initiative – collecting textiles, footwear, and clothing accessories during their scheduled recycling and textile-waste collection days from May to October.

We also provided education materials and transparent reporting so the council could showcase the initiative’s impact to their community and integrate results into sustainability reporting.

The program quickly gained strong community uptake, with more than 6 tonnes of textiles diverted from landfill within the first year—equating to 23 tonnes of CO₂ savings. The council successfully reduced contamination in waste streams, improved community engagement, and delivered measurable progress against key environmental targets.