In a move to address the growing textile waste crisis, Sustainable Snowies and The Op Shop Jindabyne and Alpine Uniting Church, with support from the Boco Rock Community Enhancement Fund, will host a series of Repair Room events starting on November 22.

Last week the Snowy Monaro Regional Council announced successful applicants who applied for the Boco Rock Community Enhancement Fund and the Jindabyne Op Shop and Alpine Uniting Church were named a recipient of $1,559.40.

Jindabyne op shop management committee member, Don Hayman, said funding will go towards two different initiatives the volunteers feel passionate about, Repair Room and UPPAREL.

The Repair Room initiative aims to not only empower community members to learn sewing and repair skills but also to divert significant amounts of clothing from landfills, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

In addition to the Repair Room, The Op Shop Jindabyne will be using funds to send left over donated textiles that aren’t to the standards of the op shop to sell in store and instead will donate them to the UPPAREL organisation for a second lease on life.

According to UPPAREL, every ten minutes, a staggering 6000 kilograms of textile waste is discarded into Australian landfills.

With the average Australian purchasing 27 kilograms of new clothes and discarding 23 kilograms annually, the need for change has never been more pressing.

Only about seven per cent of these discarded items are recycled, leaving the rest to decompose and release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

As the impact of this waste affects not only landfills but also waterways and soil quality, local initiatives like the Repair Room and UPPAREL are important to shift public perception and promoting sustainable practices.

The first Repair Room event will be held at the Alpine Uniting Church Hall, featuring Georgina from GP Alterations, who will assist participants with sewing and repair activities.

Through UPPAREL the op shop volunteers plan to save 20 kilograms of clothing per month for ten months, resulting in a total of 200 kilograms being sent to UPPAREL for reuse.

UPPAREL aims to keep everything circular, finding solutions for reuse before resorting to recycling.

“With a cost of $70 for a 20-kilogram box to send clothes to UPPAREL, the funding secured through the Boco Rock Community Enhancement Fund will cover these expenses, saving approximately 40 kilograms of clothing material from ending up in landfill each week,” Mr Hayman said.

“We try to discourage donations of damaged clothing but it can slip by and this initiative ensures that what might have been destined for the skip gets a second life instead.”

With the successful hosting of a Repair Room session in May, community members have expressed excitement about the upcoming events.

Two similar events are planned for February and May next year. Follow The Op Shop Jindabyne Facebook page for more information.