FAQ's

Clear answers. No guesswork. Full transparency.

1. What is ReWear 360?

ReWear 360 is a Canberra-based, community-led circular textile initiative.
We help households, schools, churches, gyms, and organisations donate pre-loved clothing and textiles so they can be re-worn, reused, repurposed, or recycled — instead of ending up in landfill.

Our focus is simple:

  • Keep textiles in circulation for as long as possible
  • Reduce waste locally and responsibly
  • Ensure dignity in how donated items are handled and reused

No — ReWear 360 is not a registered charity.
ReWear 360 is a local initiative run by a mum of three young children, built with a strong environmental and circular-economy focus.
That means:

  • We operate sustainably, not through donations or grants
  • Some donated textiles are sold responsibly to vetted social enterprises
  • Any revenue supports collection, sorting, logistics, and reuse pathways

We’re upfront about this because transparency matters.

It’s simple and designed to be easy:

  1. Book a free collection online
  2. Pack your items and label them “ReWear 360 Collection”
  3. Place them out by 8am on your collection day (or in a safe, dry spot)
  4. We collect, sort, and redirect your textiles for reuse or recycling

You can also choose to host a ReWear 360 collection box at your school, church, gym, or workplace to support ongoing community donations.

ReWear 360 currently operates only in Canberra, ACT.
When booking, you’ll select your suburb from a dropdown list.
If your suburb isn’t listed, it means we don’t yet service that area.

No. Collections are free for households and organisations within our serviced Canberra suburbs.
To keep collections efficient and environmentally sustainable, we ask that you aim for:

  • Around 10 kg per pickup (approximately 2–3 full bags)

Collections run Monday to Friday and are scheduled by groups of nearby suburbs, rather than individual streets or addresses.

When you book, you’ll need to:

  • Choose a collection day that aligns with when our drivers are servicing your area
  • Select from the available days shown for your suburb

Grouping collections by suburb helps us:

  • Minimise travel time and fuel use
  • Reduce emissions
  • Keep the service free and sustainable

If your preferred day isn’t available, it usually means your suburb is scheduled for a different collection run.

Our service is open to:

  • Households and families
  • University students and share houses
  • Schools and early learning centres
  • Churches and faith communities
  • Gyms, workplaces, and community organisations
  • Businesses that host a ReWear 360 collection box

We accept clean, reusable textiles, including:

  • Everyday clothing (men’s, women’s, children’s)
  • Workwear and durable clothing
  • Shoes (paired), bags, hats, belts, accessories
  • Towels, sheets, blankets, and other household textiles
  • Clean fabric offcuts and sewing remnants

If items are reusable, we’ll assess them carefully.

To protect dignity and avoid creating waste, items must be:

  • Clean and dry
  • Free from strong odours
  • Re-wearable or reusable
  • Bagged or boxed securely

A helpful question to ask yourself when packing is:

“Is this something I would feel comfortable giving to a friend or neighbour?”

If the answer is no, please don’t include it.

We cannot accept:

  • Wet, mouldy, or heavily soiled items
  • Underwear or bras (unless new with tags)
  • Dirty shoes or single shoes
  • Pillows, doonas, mattresses
  • Broken household goods, toys, or electronics
  • Curtains
  • Hazardous items (chemicals, medical or sharp waste)

These items are difficult or impossible to reuse responsibly and often end up in landfill — which we work hard to avoid.

Every donation is sorted by hand.

From there, items may:

  • Be donated locally to Canberra community groups (including international students and migrant communities)
  • Be made available to vetted social enterprises, including selected partners in the Pacific, at affordable prices
  • Be passed on to trusted local textile recyclers
  • Be recycled responsibly if reuse isn’t suitable

We do not export unsorted clothing and we do not offload waste onto other communities.

Yes — some items are sold ethically to carefully selected and vetted social enterprises.

This allows those groups to:

  • Choose what they actually need
  • Support their families and livelihoods
  • Participate in the circular economy without relying on hand-outs

Items that do not meet dignity or quality standards are not sold or passed on.

This is central to our model.

We:

  • Sort all textiles manually
  • Refuse to pass on unsuitable items
  • Avoid sending excess or poor-quality clothing overseas
  • Choose recycling over dumping

This approach comes from firsthand experience seeing the harm caused when clothing is sent elsewhere without care.

Op shops play an important role, but many are overwhelmed and unable to accept all textiles.

ReWear 360 focuses specifically on:

  • Textile diversion
  • Responsible reuse pathways
  • Non-retail circular solutions
  • Preventing landfill locally and overseas

We complement existing services — we don’t compete with them.

That’s okay — many people are.

If you’re unsure:

  • Ask yourself if you’d give it to a neighbour, or
  • Include it and let us assess it responsibly

We’d rather help you decide than see something thrown away unnecessarily.

Still have questions?

We believe donors deserve clear, honest answers.
If you have questions about what we do, how we operate, or where items go, please reach out — transparency is part of our commitment.