Recycle It Saturday drop off events
Drop off accepted household items for recycling
Items that can’t be recycled or disposed in your bin at home can be a problem. But, we have the solution! We have joined with City of Sydney and Waverley Councils to host Recycle it Saturday - a drop off event where you can bring a range of household items for recycling.
By recycling your unwanted items, you’re helping to create a circular economy. Every item you drop off is a valuable resource diverted from landfill that can be given a second life.
2024 Dates for Recycle it Saturday events
We’ll be hosting four Recycle It Saturday events in 2024:
Location:
Alexandra Canal Depot, 67C Bourke Road, Alexandria (City of Sydney Depot)
Time:
9am-3pm
Please note: Recycle It Saturday events are only open to residents living in the Woollahra, Waverley and City of Sydney Council Areas. You will be asked for your street address and you may be asked for proof of your address (eg drivers licence, rates notice, utility bill, bank statement etc) so please ensure you bring this along with you before dropping off your recycling.
What items are accepted
Items we accept include:
- Batteries (including car batteries - battery terminals must be taped with duct tape)
- Light bulbs and fluro tubes
- X-ray films
- Mobile phones
- Polystyrene (no plastic lined polystyrene e.g. ice cream containers).
- Bulky cardboard
- Clothes, linen and small hard toys (no books) in great condition suitable for second-hand sale.
- Used printer cartridges
- E-waste including vapes (alternatively book a free e-waste collection from your home)
- Household gas cylinders (including nitrogen, soda stream and LPG bottles)
- Small metal items (under 10kg) and aluminium coffee pods
- Bicycles and Scooters (any type of bicycle or scooter in any condition, electric or not).
- Blister packs (must be empty)
- Paint - water and oil based
Soft plastics
Regrettably, we are no longer able to accept soft plastics, including bread bags, chip packets and food wrappers, at our Recycle It Saturday drop off events.
The company who was processing the soft plastics collected at Recycle It Saturday recently notified council they have reached capacity and can no longer take household soft plastics. They are unsure when this will change.
Residents should dispose of their soft plastics in their red-lid bin.
Important things to know
- Please do not bring any items that are not listed above: We cannot take anything other than what is specified. No chemicals, pesticides, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers can be accepted at this event. We also cannot accept electric blankets. You will be asked to take these items back home. Please take these items to an EPA hazardous waste collection.
- This event will be contactless: To ensure the health and safety of our employees and communities, physical distancing measures will be in place and our team will be wearing masks and gloves. If you’re unwell, please stay home.
- Separate your items: Before you arrive, group items into different bags or boxes. Pack these in your boot, backseat or trailer so that we can quickly and safely remove and sort them.
- Stay in your vehicle: Our team will show you where to drive and we will unpack your vehicle for you to ensure everyone is staying safe.
What to bring and how
Please see below for a list of acceptable items you can bring to the drop-off day.
Batteries
We will accept household batteries and car batteries.
Car batteries only - To reduce fire hazards, tape the battery terminals on both ends with regular, non-conductive tape, like duct tape, clear sticky tape or electrical tape. We can accept up to 3 car batteries per vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist.
Bicycles and Scooters
We will accept all types of bikes and push scooters including kids and adults, road, mountain, hybrid/electric. These items can be in any condition, good or bad.
Clothing/Textiles/Toys
Vinnies will be receiving these items for resale. Please make sure Items are clean and in good condition.
We will accept:
- Clean, great condition blankets (no doonas), sheets, towels, handbags, shoes and hats.
- Working, great condition, medium-sized hard toys such as figurines, board games, blocks.
- All items must be clean and in great condition for second-hand sale.
- Only drop off items you would give to a friend.
We will NOT accept these items and you will be asked to take them back home:
- Carpets, rugs, curtains, doonas, pillows, underwear, socks or accessories.
- Soft, broken or unclean toys; oversized toys such as ride-on cars, play kitchen sets.
- Children's books
- Electric blankets
Packing tip: Bring textiles in plastic bags or boxes
Light bulbs/Fluro tubes
We are accepting all types of household light globes (halogen, LED, incandescent) and fluorescent tubes. Please take care in handling the bulbs as we can’t accept broken bulbs or tubes.
Packing tip: Carefully pack your light bulbs, separating them from heavier items to minimise any breaks
X-ray, CT and MRI scans/films
Before disposing of your scans, it’s always good to check if your doctor has copies saved electronically beforehand.
Packing tip: Bring them loose or in a bag or envelope.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene can’t be recycled in our recycling bins at home and is often lost to landfill, but if separated and collected in bulk can be recycled.
We will accept polystyrene used to pack furniture/household items etc. However, we will not accept packing peanuts/beanbag balls/filling or polystyrene wrap. We also do not accept plastic lined polystyrene (e.g. ice cream containers).
Packing tip: Big pieces are fine on their own, but smaller pieces get flighty and should be kept together in a bag.
Bulky cardboard
Bring large bulky, flattened boxes that won’t fit into your recycling bin at home.
Packing tip: Bring cardboard flattened, unless you’re using it to pack other items
Mobile phones
Before recycling your phone, please remember to delete your data. It’s your responsibility to wipe the data from your devices.
Packing tip: Bring them loose or in a bag or box
E-waste
If your item has a plug, a power cord or a battery we can recycle it. Do not forget to delete your data. It’s your responsibility to wipe the data from your devices.
E-waste includes the following list of items:
- Computers and related products including hard drives, monitors, mice and keyboards
- Cables, networking equipment
- DVD players, VCR players, video cameras, cameras
- Notebooks/laptops/tablets
- Printers, projectors, scanners
- Televisions
- Mobile phones and landlines
- Gaming consoles and headphones
- Household appliances like toasters, kettles, vacuums, irons, blenders, pedestal fans, mixers, microwaves
- Power tools, leaf blowers and lawn mowers - NO gas or petrol powered items
- Vapes
Packing tip: Bring old electronics in a box where possible
Gas bottles
Gas bottles - includes nitrogen, soda stream and LPG
Small metal items
Individual items must weigh under 10kg and must be made mostly of metal. No whitegoods.
- Aluminium coffee pods (place in a plastic bag)
- Metal kitchen items: cutlery, pots, pans, colanders, steel bowls, baking trays, sieves, graters
- Wire coat hangers (no plastic coated hangers)
- Keys, locks and jewellery including gold and silver made from metal only - no beads, gems or non-metal items
- Metal drinking bottles and bottle caps
- Tins/cans
- Metal dust bins
- Metal handheld tools: hammers, screw drivers, wrenches, nails, nuts, bolts, nail clippers.
Blister Packs
These are pill packets made of plastic and aluminium. Please make sure blister packs are empty and are not contained within cardboard packaging.
Paint
Water and oil based paint is accepted. Please bring paints in their original containers with lids tightly on.