There are ethical and sustainable alternatives to reselling or throwing out old or vintage fur products. Donate to wildlife rescue groups such as Snuggle Coats, which disassembles and passes animal fur on to animal groups to rehabilitate animals in their care.

Try to avoid buying fur in the first place. The resale of second-hand or vintage fur products can contribute to consumer demand for fur products by perpetuating the idea of ‘fur as fashion’.

You can report the sale of suspected illegal animal products to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

For further information on how to dispose of different waste items, visit our A-Z of waste.

What we are doing

At the October 2020 meeting, Council resolved to review its event policies, application forms and guidelines to prohibit the sale of fur products, mislabelled fake fur products, and other exotic animal skins on Council property, including looking at how an exemption for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vendors could be applied.

Council is writing to the Minister for Home Affairs to call for the introduction of random forensic testing of imported fake fur products, as well as an investigation into prohibition of fur product imports into Australia. Council will also write to the NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation to request a fur task force be established to assess the size and impact of illegal fur labelling.