How to get your donations to us
Just because you don’t need it anymore doesn’t mean it’s junk! If you have something that can be reused by the Reverse Garbage community, take a photo and email it to us. We’ll let you know whether it’s something we can take, and what the next steps will be.
What we would love to take
All donated products and materials must be clean, safe and suitable for reuse. The kind of products and materials we can accept include:
- Acrylic commercial offcuts
- Artists paints – watercolours, acrylic, oils etc
- Books relating to craft, art, building, gardening, or special interest. Encyclopedias on approval
- Bottle tops (only CLEAN plastic milk/juice bottle tops)
- Containers (plastic, glass, cardboard and metal containers and drums, boxes, bottles, pots)
- Coreflute – commercial off-cuts
- Corks
- Doors and windows
- Fabric and textiles (rolls, swatches and samples) min 1m pieces
- Film and theatre props and costumes (theatre props, costumes, set pieces, wigs, costume jewellery)
- Film and theatre set materials (flats, columns, treads, staging pieces, plinths, lighting gels, cradles)
- Film reels
- Foam core commercial off-cuts
- Lighting foils and films
- Harberdashery (zippers, buttons, thread, belts, clips, braid, ribbon, padding)
- Leather (belts, rolls, skins, off-cuts)
- Magazines – high quality – think National Geographic, Frankie, Interiors, Arts, NOT Better Homes & Gardens, Women’s Weekly (unless they are 1970s or earlier)
- Merchandising (mannequins, body shells, coreflute, props, display items, signage)
- Metal (punch-outs, brackets, wire, sheets)
- Moving boxes (delivered to us, in good reusable order)
- Netting and shade materials
- Novelty and promotional items
- Paper and cardboard (leftovers and offcuts)
- Pavers (approval required depending on capacity – delivered to us, no pickups)
- Plastics and foam (perspex, acetate, polypropylene, vinyl, medium to high density polystyrene (not domestic packaging), polyethylene foam, latex foam, foam rubber, neoprene, EVA skins, closed cell foam as sheets, blocks, cut-outs, stencils, O-rings)
- Rope, cord and twine
- Stationery (notepads, pens, pencils, envelopes.) No lever arch files or binders
- Timber and plywood (de-nailed, including structural timber, flooring, spools and frames)
- Tools
- Tubing (plastic, cardboard, rubber)
- Vinyl records
- …and anything that is suitable for crafting and making, including commercial over-runs and industrial off-cuts.
What we can’t accept
Unfortunately, there are some things we can’t accept. We have limited storage space and can only take items that we know will have a quick turnaround, as well as being safe, clean and suitable for reuse. For that reason, we cannot accept the following items:
- Beds and mattresses
- Books (fiction, reference books)
- CDs
- Chemicals
- Clothes
- Damaged and disassembled furniture
- DVDs and VHS tapes (except blank)
- eWaste including CRT televisions and monitors
- Glass
- Homewares including glasses, dishware and cutlery
- Individual food containers
- Office furniture including filing cabinets, desks and chairs
- Office products like lever arch files, folders and suspension files
- Magazines
- Paints (open household paints or spray paints.) We do take open artists paints
- Polystyrene domestic packaging
- Tiles
- Used computer peripherals including used ink cartridges and toner
- Used paper and cardboard
- Wood – anything made from MDF, fibro or chipboard
But just because we can’t take it doesn’t mean you have to trash it! The good news is that there are other specialist organisations who can help you when we can’t. Take a look at our list of other ways you can reuse and recycle.
Still not sure?
Email us a photo of what you would like to donate, and one of our team members will get back to if we can accept it in our warehouse.
Phone: 02 9569 3132
Email: info@reversegarbage.org.au
Drop-offs
We accept donations on a case by case basis.
We really appreciate it when people drop their donations to us. Please email or call 02 9569 3132 first to make sure we can accept your donation, and that we have space in the warehouse, room in the loading dock, and people on hand to accept your delivery.
Our loading dock is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday. Please note: we have moved warehouse to 30 Carrington Road, Marrickville.
Note that Reverse Garbage cannot cover the cost of couriers or removalists.
Pick-ups
We have a small number of vehicles available to pick up large donations. Please call 02 9569 3132 or email us to discuss arrangements. Note that we usually require two to three weeks’ notice to add a pick-up to our regular schedule.
Reverse Garbage’s Clothing Bin
Located in our back car park (enter via Renwick Street, Marrickville) Reverse Garbage offers the local community a drop off point for all quality clothing, shoes and accessories donations.
While we can’t accept clothes to resale (unless it’s proper vintage or retro) we do have the clothing bin ready and waiting for your outgrown wardrobe items in reuse condition.
Through our partnership with reuse/recycling operator and Charitable Recycling Australia member, King Cotton, Reverse Garbage receives a financial contribution from all donations. Money generated from this venture is then reinvested back into our Education programs, which allow us to reach more audiences with our mission to encourage all to consider reuse as their first option.