At the Central West shopping centre car park in Braybrook, Melbourne, illegal dumping of old clothes, shoes, belts, and household waste continues around three clothing recycling bins, sometimes even including needles and human excrement. These bins are operated by family business SCR Group, which collects 47 million kilograms of used textiles annually, with about 94% diverted from landfill.

Key Points

  • The clothing recycling bins operated by SCR Group in Braybrook, Melbourne, are subject to illegal dumping multiple times a week; on-site staff say the problem "happens every day," with shoppers even leaving needles and excrement.
  • SCR Group collects 47 million kilograms of discarded textiles annually, with about 94% avoiding landfill; some are reused domestically, some exported to overseas markets, but the company has not disclosed the export ratio.
  • The bins are labeled "Leaving items outside the recycling bin is illegal" and "No dumping," but with little effect; SCR says it will work with shopping centre management and other stakeholders to address the issue.

The locations of the incidents are quite specific. Last Thursday and on another day prior, shoppers at the centre's car park near Coles, Aldi, Australia Post, and Timezone saw old clothes, shoes, belts, and household waste dumped outside the recycling bins. A staff member described Thursday's pile to Yahoo News as "relatively clean" compared to other situations, and said that on another day there were syringes at the scene, and someone had defecated there.

SCR Group's founding purpose forms a striking contrast with the on-site chaos. The company seeks to keep unwanted clothing out of landfill. Its spokesperson said that a considerable portion of these clothes still have significant useful life, and according to the waste management hierarchy, reuse is preferable to recycling, because reuse both extends product life and makes full use of the resources previously consumed in production.

The problem is that some residents cannot distinguish clothing recycling bins from household garbage bins. SCR Group has posted clear notices around the bins stating "Leaving items outside the recycling centre is illegal" and "No dumping," and says the bins are regularly maintained with clear guidelines on acceptable items. The company emphasizes that items left outside the bins—including general waste, hazardous materials, and the aforementioned human excrement—are not donations; such incidents reflect only the behavior of a minority of users, and millions of Australians still use clothing recycling points normally each year.

As for what specific measures the company will take to tackle this persistent problem, it remains unclear. SCR Group says it will advance through consultation with shopping centre management and other stakeholders.

Illegal dumping is not an isolated case. An SCR spokesperson noted that illegal dumping around clothing collection points is a persistent global problem, widely seen in the textile recycling and charity sectors, and not unique to Braybrook. Earlier this year, Yahoo reported that a stormwater drain in Western Sydney had accumulated garbage due to two Woolworths shopping carts abandoned for over 56 days; in Kingsville, in Melbourne's inner west, residents complained about continuous illegal dumping in front of two clothing recycling bins next to a gas station, ultimately forcing the landowner to remove the bins.

The export destination of used clothes is also involved. Some of the clothing collected by SCR Group is reused within Australia, and some is sent to overseas markets; the company did not confirm the specific proportions. Its spokesperson explained that without these overseas markets, a large amount of still-wearable clothing would face a higher risk of entering Australian landfill, and its disposal costs would ultimately fall on charities and other organizations—which often receive donated clothing far exceeding their local capacity to recycle and absorb.

For the used clothing trade industry, this report points to a structural reality: the denser the front-end facilities on the recycling side, the more prominent the pressure of illegal dumping and management costs; and for charities and recycling organizations to find outlets beyond local absorption, overseas markets remain a key export, even though their share of export volume is often opaque.

Source: Common illegal act spotted in shopping centre car park exposes widespread Australian problem · Originally published 2026-10-05