Spring clean - sustainably!

Has the onset of spring got you all fired up about the prospect of decluttering? But are you confused about what to do with all the stuff you’re looking to cull and horrified by the prospect of sending it to landfill? We’ve got you covered!

Clothing

Do you have clothes that don’t fit or no longer suit your style and have been languishing in the back of your wardrobe for a while? Why not turn your closet into cash! Any items that are still in good condition could be sold to be worn again by someone else, while making you some extra money on the side.

There are numerous apps and online platforms now that make this easy, from social sharing marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace, eBay or gumtree, to dedicated fashion sites like Depop, Yordrobe and Poshmark, or companies that do the hard work for you such as The Turn, Swop and The Closet.

What about damaged/unsaleable clothing?

The general rule when donating to op-shops has always been: would you be proud to gift it to a family member or a friend? But is it still true?

Omer Soker, the CEO of Charitable Recycling Australia, says charities are happy to accept donations of unwearable garments, because they have the infrastructure and capacity to ensure they're correctly sorted and downcycled into rags. It helps if your unusable garments are separately bagged and labelled.

Retailers including H&M and Zara have clothing bins at their stores that accept unwanted textiles (from any brand, in any condition). Upparel will collect your unwanted clothes, shoes and linen for a small fee and sort them for you. 

Bedlinen and towels:

Sheridan has a program that ensures old sheets and towels (any brand!) are diverted from landfill and sent to partnering factories to be made into recycled yarn that is repurposed into new products. There is now a recycling collection point in all Sheridan Boutique and Outlet stores.

Sports shoes

Your used sport and "active lifestyle footwear" (including old thongs!) can be turned into new products such as gym mats, floors and playgrounds – all here in Australia. To keep your old shoes out of landfill, simply head to one of the 600 Treadlightly collection points across Australia. Find your closest dropoff spot here.

Toys

Do you have old, broken toys cluttering up your home? Don’t bin them, donate them at your nearest BIG W - just drop them into the Toys for Joy chest in stores. All brands of plastic toys, metal toys, plush toys, electronic toys (with batteries removed) are accepted – but no books, batteries in toys, board games, wooden toys, Play-doh, paint and slime, pens, pencils, crayons or paint brushes, oversized toys such as bikes, scooters, skateboards or sports toys such as soccer goals. 

Paint

Many homes have a collection of half-used tins of paint tins in the shed or under the house. The good news is that tins of interior and exterior household paint can now be dropped off at Paintback collection sites. The tins and containers are separated from the paint and recycled. Waste paint is treated to recover solvents and separate liquids and solids.

Deck coatings, floor paints, primers, undercoats, stains and varnishes are all accepted. But Paintback won't take automotive paints, aerosol paints, resins, thinners, roof patch, tar-based or bitumen-based products, epoxies or glue, or metal coatings.

Electronics

E-waste items like laptops, phones, tablets, printers and hard drives can’t go in the recycling bin. Instead, take your used devices to a drop-off point for  MobileMuster, TechCollect or Ecycle Solutions.

Batteries

Batteries are fire hazards and should never be put in your recycling or waste bin. B-cycle, Australia’s battery stewardship scheme, is the government authorised scheme supporting a collection network for used batteries. You can search their website by postcode for a convenient drop-off location. Any brand of AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries (both rechargeable and non-rechargeable) are accepted - simply drop your used batteries into the dedicated bins in store.

And the rest?

Could you make someone’s day by giving it away? Unwanted items that are in acceptable condition can be listed on local Freecycle or Buy Nothing Facebook groups. Rehome unwanted goods, build community spirit and do something positive for neighbours who may be struggling!