For David Pendleton, there is no better sound than the hum of a sewing machine.

Over the past five years, he has produced thousands of recycled wool blankets, picnic rugs and pet pillows from his little workshop in Yackandandah, in north-east Victoria.

Mr Pendleton and his partner Jane now sell their recycled wool products – along with homegrown produce and award-winning extra virgin olive oil – at farmers’ markets.

Mr Pendleton says he stumbled into the world of textiles after leaving a corporate career.

“I was working on a major project for an international charity which aimed to minimise sexual abuse of women in south-east Asian sweatshops,” he said.

Michell Wool executive director David Michell says textiles have been getting recycled for many years.

“It’s been happening for generations in Europe,” Mr Michell said.

He said after World War II that “there were trainloads of rags and old jumpers heading to Prato in the centre of Italy to be recycled”.

Take, make, dispose

But Australia has a big problem when it comes to unwanted clothing and fabrics.

Ainsley Simpson is the chief executive of Seamless, an industry-led clothing stewardship scheme that is aiming, according to its website, “to create clothing circularity” in Australia by 2030.

“Here in Australia more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing go to landfill each year,” she said.

“That’s because our current mindset around clothing is ‘we take, we make and we dispose.'”

Ms Simpson says Australia lacks an effective textile recycling system.