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Lockdown has driven a lift in usage of a recycling pilot program in Sydney, which has helped reduce the amount of clothing going to landfill. 

According to figures from the National Clothing Textile Waste roundtable, 800,000 tonnes of textile waste ends up in Australia’s landfills each year. 

To help to reduce this, the City of Sydney's RecycleSmart pilot has been providing on-demand pick-ups for tricky-to-recycle goods like wearable clothes, batteries and soft plastics. 

Since Sydney's stay at home orders have been in place, use of the RecycleSmart pilot has increased by almost 50%. 

"With libraries and community centres closed, recycling events postponed, and all of us required to stay at home, there are fewer avenues for people to recycle these tricky items, which is why pilot schemes like RecycleSmart are so important," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. 

"The service provides contactless pick-up of items direct from the doorstep or apartment building lobby, meaning people don’t have to leave their home to recycle items like batteries, polystyrene and plastic bags.

"We know that diverting as many items as possible away from landfill is vital to combat climate change. 

"Waste and waste management is responsible for around 10% of our local area’s carbon emissions.

"Every kilogram of rubbish we can divert away from landfill brings us closer to our goal of net zero emissions by 2035.

"People using the scheme can subscribe free and have their items collected from their doorstep every month, on a day of their choice," she said. 

Since the trial started late last year, more than 3,050 bags have been collected in almost 1,300 pick-ups, diverting more than eight tonnes of waste away from landfill. 

The most popular item to be recycled through the program has been soft plastics. 

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