Material flow analysis of post-consumer apparel waste in Australia

Abstract

Apparel waste is a significant, rapidly growing problem in Australia. However, the flow of the waste streams in various routes has yet to be quantified extensively. This study attempts to map and quantify various waste flows in Australia by applying material flow analysis (MFA) as a methodological tool. The MFA results indicate that clothing recyclers are one of the critical actors handling around 33% of apparel waste per year (i.e., around 170,204 ± 29,462 tonnes). Surprisingly, the study identifies clothing recyclers as the leading source of apparel waste directed to landfill, with an estimated annual disposal of around 141,076 tonnes. The research also revealed that in the name of offshore recycling, around 25% of the waste is transferred to overseas countries. Landfills are the primary contributor to the apparel end-of-life streams (around 39%), with only 14% of apparel being reused. Apparel made from cotton-polyester blends is identified as the most landfilled item (i.e., on average 62000 tonnes per year). The findings highlight a pressing need for systemic reforms in apparel waste management, with particular emphasis on enhancing recycling accountability and promoting circular economy strategies in Australia. Several limitations and future research directions have been mentioned in this research to investigate this topic further, particularly waste characterization, national-level waste inventory database development, aspects related to practices of local clothing recyclers and inventory on offshore recycling, and consumer behaviour around disposing of apparel products with the context of Australia.