Old sheets can be a force for good

Spring is the perfect time to clean out those forgotten shelves and give those old sheets a second chance at life. 

To celebrate National Recycling Week, Sunshine Coast Council and Noosa Council have teamed up with BlockTexx® to hold a community textile recycling event, ‘Give a Sheet® for the Planet’.  

Simply clean out your linen cupboards and drop-off approved items at Chancellor State College, Secondary Campus, Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs or The J Noosa, 60 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads on November 16. 

BlockTexx® S.O.F.T.™ (Separation Of Fibre Technology) works by separating everyday products such as sheets, pillowcases and towels back into their individual raw materials. The recovered resources can then be reused back into the textile industry or into other industries such as building, agricultural and manufacturing.

Sunshine Coast Council Environment and Liveability Portfolio Holder Cr Maria Suarez said the event was a great way to clean out the cupboard and recycle for the environment. 

“Approximately 6000kg of textiles and clothes are discarded in Australian landfills every 10 minutes,” Cr Suarez said. 

“Often this linen ends up as unusable donations or in landfill. 

“Give a Sheet® for the planet will allow for tonnes of unwanted sheets, towels, pillowcases and other household textiles to be given a new life.  

“This event gives the community a convenient way to do their part in creating a cleaner, greener environment and sustainable future, all while winning back some space in their cupboards.” 

Noosa Mayor Frank Wilkie said Noosa Council was proud to again join with Sunshine Coast Council and BlockTexx® for the Give a Sheet® textile collection initiative.

“We’re delighted to have seen this event go from strength to strength,” Cr Wilkie said.

“Last year Noosa and Sunshine Coast residents dropped off a whopping 2.8 tonnes of clothing and 1.5 tonnes of linen combined at the two drop-off locations.

“That’s a phenomenal amount of material kept from needlessly ending up in landfill to instead be remanufactured by BlockTexx into valuable resources for new products,” Cr Wilkie said.

“Supporting Give a Sheet® for the Planet is a small yet significant way we can all make a difference through waste reduction and recycling.”

Australian-first initiative 

Co-founder of BlockTexx Adrian Jones said the community feedback was always extremely positive. 

“Everyone seems to have a ‘thank goodness you’re here’ moment when they realise that our onshore recycling option is a better alternative than landfill or export,” Mr Jones said. 

“This state-of-the-art textile recovery facility developed in Australia will separate textiles into new recycled products of PolyTexx® rPET pellets and CellTexx® a Cellulose clay to be used by Australian manufacturers – they won’t be going into landfill, burnt, or exported overseas.  

“Being able to access a commercial-scale circular economy solution for textile waste, diverting it from kerbside bins and landfill, right here on the Sunshine Coast, is remarkable.” 

Be a part of the solution 

When: Saturday, November 16, 8am to 2pm 

Where: two locations: 

• Chancellor State College - Secondary Campus, Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs 
• The J Noosa, 60 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads 

What: Households can drop off their clean and sorted old, worn-out sheets, towels, pillowcases, quilt covers and linen that are no longer wanted or can no longer be used. 

Accepted fibres are cotton, polyester and man-made cellulosic (bamboo, viscose, and rayon). For full details visit Sunshine Coast Events.

.Who: Anyone! Why not organise a collection from a school, workplace or street and bundle together to take to the drop off point. 

More information on the ‘Give a Sheet® for the planet’ event is available at Sunshine Coast Events.

Learn more about diverting waste from landfill through recycling and recovery options at the Sunshine Coast Council's website.

Or find out more about BlockTexx®, our world leading textile resource recovery partner here! https://www.blocktexx.com/ and https://giveasheetfortheplanet.com/