How And Where To Recycle Pre-Loved Items In The Illawarra
Tips on what to do with your pre-loved stuff!
We love a good clear out and declutter! But what do you do with all the stuff you don’t need or want anymore?
We asked decluttering expert Gillian of Daisy Declutter & Downsizing and she didn’t disappoint! Take it away, Gillian!
If you’re a Marie Kondo enthusiast and have decided now is the time to declutter, you may end up with a whole heap of stuff you need to get rid of. But where should it all go?
Here in the Illawarra we are blessed with a whole range of options to give old items new life along with some easy ways to recycle and thereby avoiding landfill.
1 :: Old, unusable sheets and towels
Did you know the fabulous Sheridan Outlet Shop in Shellharbour will take these off your hands? Any brand, too. So great! Plenty of vets are often on the lookout for used sheets and towels they can use in their clinics – touch base with your local vet to check.
2 :: Clothing in good condition
There are plenty of options in the Illawarra – Vinnies, the Salvo’s, Green Connect, Save the Children, Anglicare and Lifeline.
Just call first as some places have been overwhelmed with donations recently and are only taking certain items [it seems we all got our declutter on during the last couple of years!].
3 :: Electronics
How many old mobile phones and odd computer bits do we all have lurking in our drawers?! I swear they multiply overnight! Our Community RecyclingCentre in Kembla Grange will take them and recycle them all.
4 :: Furniture
The Salvo’s will come and collect your furniture or you can drop off unwanted furniture as well as homewares, sporting goods, tools, toys and more at the Revolve Centre in Kembla Grange. It’s up to the Revolve staff to decide whether or not items will be accepted. Check in with them before you start unloading your car.
5 :: Pay It Forward
The local Illawarra Pay It Forward group on Facebook is a great place to post unwanted items that you wish to gift to someone. They then come and pick it up from you – sorted! There are often Pay it Forward or Buy, Swap and Sell pages for individual suburbs too.
6 :: Books
Lifeline is a great place to recycle gently used books in good condition second-hand books as they will come in a treat when the book-fair rolls around. Other local charity shops will also take books but call first – like we said before, they’ve been inundated with donations in recent months, so some aren’t in the position to keep accepting certain goods.
7:: eBay
Don’t be surprised about what people will buy! This is slightly embarrassing to tell you guys, but I had carted my Dolly magazine collection around for years. I finally decided to part with it and listed it on eBay. Turns out they were quite popular, a bidding war started, and my well-loved magazines sold for a few hundred dollars – fab!
8:: Markets
If you’re looking to make a little extra cash why not set yourself up a market stall for your unwanted but still in fair nick goodies? Trash and treasure markets are usually a good spot to set up. Here’s a list of markets happening throughout the Illawarra you can browse and find what’s right for your wares.
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