Recycling Tips
Recycling Tips
With kerbside collection having just occurred in our area, it is timely to remember that all the kerbside waste will go to landfill without any recycling and often ruined by rain (unless salvaged from your pile by someone first). There are other options for some of your waste which are much kinder to our planet. So, if you have items to throw away – please consider the following options.
Useful, working items
Please give away to friends, family, neighbours or on “Buy Nothing” pages on social media; or give to charity (lots of bins are full but “Yesterdays Thrift Shop” in Blackwood St, Mitchelton always accepts drop offs out the back carpark). Some of your working items might be handy for charities that help those in new, the homeless, or those escaping DV. Example – Givit Org.
Broken items
Might still have a second life on “Buy Nothing” pages – one person’s trash could be exactly what someone else is looking for! Also check your local Men’s Shed groups – they often take useable items and fix them. Also check out the local Repair Café who have volunteers who fix items for free (or gladly via donation).
If you have no luck rehoming your items – the following recycling options apply:
Toys
Take broken toys to the green toy recycling bin at Big W.
Electrical
E–waste and small electrical items such as mobile phones, computers, monitors, printers, keyboards/mice, other peripheral electronics, small household appliances can be recycled at the Ferny Grove Resource Recovery Centre (fancy word for ‘tip’) – where dropping off recycling is free unless it’s a massive amount.
Mobile phones
Recycle at your local Optus, Telstra, Vodafone, Woolworths, and Officeworks store. See Mobile Muster for options.
White goods
Accepted for recycling at Ferny Grove Resource Recovery Centre
Clothes beyond use
Recycle at H&M stores and receive a thank you voucher!
Shoes beyond use
Recycling bins at Rebel, Athletes Foot, Platypus, Hype and Drummond Golf. They accept Athletic lifestyle shoes, any sports branded shoes, thongs and slides, football boots, sneakers, trainers, runners, and golf shoes.
Broken pool inflatables, air mattresses, rubber boats or broken umbrellas
Accepted for recycling by PLOYS, where they give the material new life as bags etc.
Plastic plant pots
Large recycling collection point outside Bunnings Garden Centre doors; or Paten Park Native Nursery – but please wash all posts first to avoid accidentally spreading any disease to other plants.
Council’s Resource Recovery Centres
Accept and recycle a huge amount of other items such as polystyrene, cardboard boxes, metals (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium, copper, tin), batteries, gas bottles, fluro tubes)
Fabric and linens
Boomerang Bags would love to create with your excess materials. And old linens and towels are always needed by vets, wildlife rescues and AWLQ.
Hard to recycle items
Can now find a new life via the Facebook group: Recycling Hills District/Brisbane North. They recycle many odd items (the list is endless) including but not limited to: Air freshener aerosol cans, any pieces of plastic with a 2, 4 or 5 symbol, asthma puffers, beer can clips (number 2 plastic), CD’s, Brita water filters, disposable gloves, glad wrap, razors, stationery, stockings/tights, Styrofoam, textiles, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes (empty not dripping), and much more.
Soft plastics
You can do this via a company called RecycleSmart – but it’s a little complicated and you have to ‘subscribe’ (pay) for the service. The service operates in the Brisbane City Council area. It is a great option though and also for other hard to recycle items. Also join the Facebook group: Recycling Hills District/Brisbane North. They are organising local community opportunities to share in collecting soft plastics via this company.
Batteries
Big W, Aldi, and Woolies all have bins
Corks
Dan Murphy’s
Print cartridges
All Officeworks stores and participating Cartridge World stores – there is a local store in Ashgrove
Officeworks
Recycle many items, including computers & laptops, monitors, keyboards & mice, printers & scanners, cables, chargers & power supplies, motherboards, ink and toner cartridges, pens, correction tape, liquid paper, fountain pens and ink cartridges, USBs, hard drives, CDs or DVDs and their cases, batteries.
Underwear
Recycle your underwear items with Underwear for Humanity.
Other resources:
Authors: Tahne Allen and Melanie Grevis-James
Recommended Posts
