Great question! Whilst the $7.50 fee is fully redeemable in the form of a store credit, it also helps to contribute towards a number of the costs involved in operating a textile recycling initiative, such as shipping and recycling the items, of which the costs are covered by Underworks. The average cost to collect 10kg across Australia is $22.03 (though you can imagine how these increase for rural collections). There are also the costs associated in storing items, separating them, sorting them based on their second life use and preparing new or fit-for-wear items to be distributed to UPPAREL’s epic Australian partners; Save The Children, Sacred Heart Mission, Ready Set Australia, St Kilda Mums and Good360 Australia! The collection fee is really important in contributing towards these costs and supporting Upparel’s mission as a small Australian start-up to keep textiles out of landfill and create a circular fashion system.