Where do your kids' outgrown clothes go?
Australia sends more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill every year. Kids' clothes, outgrown so fast, are a big part of the story.
The numbers
Analysis by The Australia Institute (2024) found Australia landfills more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing a year, and exports a further 105,000 tonnes, much of which becomes waste overseas. More than 1.4 billion new garments come onto the market here annually. QUT researchers (2025) reached a similar landfill figure.
There is a hopeful thread, too. The national Seamless benchmark recorded 222,000 tonnes to landfill in 2023, down about 4 percent from 2018, as second-hand shopping grows.
Why kids' clothes are a special case
Children outgrow clothes in months, not years, so kids' garments are often discarded while they still have most of their life left in them. That's the tragedy and the opportunity: a barely-worn outfit thrown out is a barely-worn outfit another family could have used.
What actually helps
Donating is good, but a lot of donated clothing still ends up exported or landfilled if it can't be resold locally. The most reliable way to keep a garment in use is to put it directly into the hands of someone who wants it, by selling your baby gear or passing it on to another parent.
One outfit, kept in use
Every pre-loved piece that changes hands is one that didn't need making new, and one that stayed out of the 200,000-tonne pile. It's a small act that scales.
References
- The Australia Institute, Textiles Waste in Australia (2024) (200,000+ tonnes landfilled, 105,000 tonnes exported, 1.4 billion+ new garments a year).
- QUT Crime and Justice Research Centre, Reducing textile landfill (2025)
- Seamless Australia, Australia sends 222,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill (2023 benchmark)
Related reading
Keep yours out of the pile
Pass on the clothes your kids have outgrown to a family who'll use them next.
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