By Holly Hales in Melbourne

Age has more influence on how Australians buy, use and discard clothes than any other factor, new research has revealed.

The first nationwide study by RMIT University into the habits of 3080 people found they were buying too many clothes and were unsure how to discard them responsibly.

Young Australians, aged 18 to 34, were more likely to buy second-hand, repair, resell or share clothes but tended to have large collections of unused clothing that were no longer in style.

However, older Australians were more likely to donate clothing they no longer wanted, though were less likely to buy second-hand.

Just over half throw away worn-out or significantly damaged clothes in the general waste bin while 30 per cent opt for a recycle bin at least half the time.

Lead author RMIT Professor Alice Payne said there was room for improvement across age and gender groups.

“Young people are trying a lot of different methods and although they’re environmentally and socially concerned, they still might throw their clothes in the bin,” she said.

“Another group is men, across different ages, who are good in the sense that they have fewer unworn clothes in their wardrobe, and they’re doing good practices (but) they’re not really very aware of how they can divert their clothing away from landfill.

“They don’t really donate as often. They’re often lacking interest or awareness in diversion methods.”

Prof Payne said finances also played a role in why people might opt for used clothing, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s hard to know the exact reasons why people buy second-hand, but 82 per cent said that the main was because of cost effectiveness,” she said.

Along with this, 66 per cent said they could buy brands used that they couldn’t afford to buy new.

Australians are among the world’s biggest clothing consumers, with more than 200,000 tonnes being sent to landfill annually.