A survey of thousands of clothing items at a council landfill has revealed a snapshot of Australia’s mounting fast fashion problem.

The Ballina Shire Council on the New South Wales North Coast found more than 80 per cent of 2,000 clothing items arriving at its waste facility during four weeks from June to July were in perfect or near-perfect condition.

Education officer Justine Rowe sorted through the clothes as part of an audit and said she found some beautiful pieces, including vintage and handmade items and children’s clothing with tags on it.

Woman sorts through clothing bin.

Justine Rowe says people throw out some incredible clothing items. (ABC North Coast: David Kirkpatrick)

“Over 80 per cent of items were in perfect, or near-perfect condition, and probably were being sent to landfill just because people weren’t aware or didn’t have another option to choose for those items,” she said.

Community support worker Josh Gooley has worked at Ballina tip’s Salvage Shed for the past 18 months and said he had also noticed more clothing piling up.

Man standing at counter at salvage facility.

Josh Gooley says he is on the frontline of fast fashion waste. (ABC North Coast: David Kirkpatrick)

“Each week we’ll get four 200-litre bins full of clothes that have been dumped,” he said.

Clothing filling Australian landfills

Australians are one of the biggest consumers of clothing in the world, buying an average of 55 new clothing items each year. 

The Australian Fashion Council has estimated the industry was worth $27.2 billion to the Australian economy across retail and manufacturing.

Op shops around the country are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of clothes being donated, and more than 220,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfill annually — the equivalent weight of four Sydney Harbour bridges.

A dress on a hanging on a wall that says salvage.

The Salvage Shed at Ballina tip tries to rehome good-condition clothing. (ABC North Coast: David Kirkpatrick)

The Ballina council is taking a back-to-basics approach to addressing the issue, holding free workshops to help residents learn skills in caring for and mending clothes.

“It seems really simple, but it is not something we are taught very often these days,” Ms Rowe said.

“We’d love to see … a greater understanding of how to actually wash and care for clothes.”

“We’d also like people to rethink how they access clothes and why. 

“Are we just shopping because we are in that mindset?”

The project is funded through the waste levy.

The levy is paid by waste facilities for each tonne of landfill waste.

It aims to decrease the number of items going to landfill and promote resource recovery and recycling.