Set your clothes free is coming back in 2026.
On 31 October, South Australians will be invited to donate their unwanted high-quality clothing, and recycle poor quality clothing and textiles.
Australians are the world’s biggest consumers of fashion, purchasing an average of 53 items of clothing per person each year – but a significant portion of those end up unworn or underused, buried in wardrobes and destined for landfill.
Set your clothes free focuses on collecting unwanted textiles and giving them a second life. High quality items collected will be donated to charity partners, and low-quality items will be recycled. This eases the burden placed on charity stores that can become overwhelmed with poor-quality donations that can’t be re-sold.
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Where are the drop-off sites?
Several drop-off points will be open across South Australia on Saturday 31 October, from 9 am to 3 pm.
Watch this space for a complete list of locations.
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What items will be accepted at the drop-off sites?
All clothing, footwear and household linens in any condition can be dropped off.
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What items won't be accepted at the drop-off sites?
Items that will not be accepted include:
- doonas and pillows
- soft toys
- mattresses.
Clothing in poor condition will be accepted at the 2026 event.
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Do the items have to be clean?
All items must be washed to be accepted.
Stained clothing items, and linens with paint stains will be accepted, as long as they've been washed since their last use.
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Can the household linen items have tears/rips?
Yes, clothing, footwear and linens that have been torn or damaged will be accepted, and will go on to be recycled.
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Where will the collected textiles go?
Collected clothing, footwear and linens that are of a high quality will be sorted and distributed to our participating charitable organisations for resale.
Collected clothing, footwear and linens that are not high enough quality for resale will be processed for recycling by TeXtura – the dedicated textile logistics and recycling solutions division of Shred-X.
TeXtura will work with Australian-based textile recyclers to process the linens into new textile products through a mechanical recycling process.
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What were the results of the 2025 events?
In 2025, Green Industries SA partnered with local councils and charities to host 2 Set your clothes free events – in May and November – to help South Australians donate their unwanted, high-quality clothing and pass on their unwanted household linens for recycling.
Across both events, 42.4 tonnes of unwanted textiles were collected for donation and recycling, including:
- 24.4 tonnes of high-quality clothing and footwear collected for resale by Salvos Stores, Red Nose, RSPCA, Lifeline, and the Australian Red Cross
- 18 tonnes of low-grade household textiles – such as old sheets, towels, curtains and more – collected and transported by Shred-X to the Upparel facility in Victoria, where items will be shredded to be used as filling in new products including boxing bags and pet beds.
