The appetite for free good quality fashion is alive and well in Cockburn with a community clothes swap saving more than 450 items from landfill.
In the first event for 2026, the City of Cockburn’s Sustainability and Climate Change Team welcomed 60 keen fashionistas enthusiastic about saving money, reducing waste and having fun with fellow community members.
City of Cockburn Service Lead Sustainability and Climate Change Clare Courtauld said the successful event was again attended by
Feel Good Fashionista Loraine Martin who provided participants with free style tips and tricks for gaining a new wardrobe without spending a cent.
“Loraine has attended several of our clothes swap events and is a wealth of knowledge, demonstrating the impacts of fast fashion and the environmental benefits of reducing our consumption.
“For example, according to the Clean Up Australia website the fashion industry, largely driven by fast fashion, is one of the highest polluting industries, responsible for an estimated 10 per cent of global CO2 emissions.
“In landfill, decomposing materials can take hundreds of years to break down while releasing greenhouse gases into the environment.
“These environmental impacts help motivate the City’s key strategic value of sustainability where reuse and reducing consumption are effective methods of avoiding the creation of waste in the first place.”
At the end of the event a large bag each of clothing and shoes were donated to ParaQuad Industries Jandakot, plus a bag of clothing was provided to Perth Community Clothing Recycling Wholesaler in East Cannington.
The team is planning a youth specific clothes swap at Cockburn Youth Centre in November, and a third event is planned before summer to freshen up local wardrobes in time for the warmer weather.
Ms Courtauld said the event was part of the City’s Textile Waste Reduction Program, with seven events held over the past three years.
“A key to a successful clothes swap is only accepting clean items free from permanent stains, holes, tears and anything that would make them unfit for resale or gifting,” Ms Courtauld said.
“We now have a bunch of regular attendees who are big fans of clothes swaps and proclaim Cockburn’s events to be their favourite.
“Sustainability is a key strategic value for our City. Our vision is to manage our waste services sustainability, and lead and support a community that avoids waste generation, reduces environmental impacts and recognises waste is a valuable resource to be recovered, reused and recycled.”
Fast fashion facts:
- According to research by The Australia Institute, more than 200,000 tonnes of textile waste is disposed of in Australian landfills every year
- In Australia, more than 100,000 tonnes of textile waste are shipped overseas annually
- The average Australian buys 56 brand new clothing items each year, with many only kept for a short period
- On average in Australia, a garment is used just seven times before it is thrown away
- Most garments are created very cheaply from polyester fabric, a form of plastic, by fast-fashion manufacturers.
Caption: City of Cockburn Sustainability and Climate Change team members Laura and Alana at the clothes swap event.