Council’s Community Services Section Manager Tammy Gutsche said the upcoming drop off day, ‘Give a Sheet® for the planet’ is a first for Port Stephens, giving residents an environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted textiles.

“Over the years, a significant amount of the items brought to Council problem waste drop off days have been repurposed and given new life,” Ms Gutsche said.

“The rubber from our tyre drop off days is transformed into crumb rubber products and alternative fuel sources, while the foam from our mattress drop off days is repurposed into carpet underlay and acoustic paneling.

“The upcoming Give a Sheet® drop off day at Salamander Bay is a chance for residents to spring clean their linen closets and help to give unwanted waste new life,” she added.

A representative from BlockTexx, Tonia Bastyan said the ‘Give a Sheet® for the Planet’ events address the growing textile waste problem, which sees over 315,000 tonnes of textiles and clothing discarded in Australian landfills every year.

“In collaboration with councils across Australia, we launched our ‘Give a Sheet® for the Planet’ events as a solution to end-of-life household linen,” Tonia Bastyan said.

“With 17 ‘Give a Sheet®’ events under our belt, we’re thrilled to visit new communities like Port Stephens this year.

“We’ve already collected over 32,000 kilograms of linen – the equivalent of 53,000 bed sheets – sending them to our social enterprise partners to be sorted and decommissioned, removing any trims that can’t go through our process.

“These social enterprises support people with disabilities across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, helping not only the environment, but supporting Aussies in our local communities too – it’s a win win,” Tonia Bastyan added.

The ‘Give a Sheet® for the Planet’ textile recycling day will be held at the Salamander Bay Waste Transfer Station on Saturday 19 October, from 9am to 3pm and is free for Port Stephens residents. Learn more about what items are accepted for recycling at pscouncil.info/give-a-sheet