Managing waste wisely

How to Reuse and Recycle Unwanted Items

Give your unwanted quality items a second life by gifting, swapping, selling or repairing them – and leave landfill as a last resort.

How to repair

Take your treasured item to your local Repair Lab or Repair Cafe and their skilled volunteers can help you repair it and keep it in circulation. Find out more about how to repair items yourself or where to get them fixed here.

How to rehome

Local charities and op shops

Charities and op-shops want your pre-loved furniture, bric-a-brac, crockery, manchester, clothing, household items, books, DVDs and in some cases, electrical appliances. Some even offer a free collection service for bulky items. Just make sure items aren’t stained or broken.

Charity Contact details More information
Anglicare (08) 6253 3535 for enquiries or to book a home collection Op shop locations
Australian Red Cross 1800 733 276 (1800 RED CROSS) Red Cross locations
Good Sammy 1300 466 372 (1300 GOOD SAMMY) or book a home collection online.
Friends with Dignity Perth Online contact, Facebook
Paraquad Industries 9381 0108; pqiopshop.shenton@alinea.org.au Info about donation bins and home collections
People Who Care 0403 367 767 – direct line for donations Re-housing families escaping domestic crises. They particularly need quality bedding and bed frames.
Salvos Stores 13 72 58 (13 SALVOS) What the stores can accept
Save the Children 9267 3900; scawainfo@savethechildren.org.au Store locations
Vinnies 13 18 12 Store locations

How to sell or share

Service How it works
Buy Nothing Project – Facebook or app Join your local group and offer the items you no longer need to your neighbours. Be sure to follow the group etiquette and be respectful of others. Everything on Buy Nothing must be gifted for free.
Facebook Marketplace Platform to buy and sell preloved goods.
Gumtree Platform to buy and sell preloved goods.
Blezz / Olio Not on Facebook? Try a gifting app as an alternative to the Buy Nothing Project. Blezz and Olio are two great options (no selling – everything must be gifted for free).
Garage Sale Trail Lots to get rid of? Register to join the Garage Sale Trail, held every year in November.
GarageSaleIt A marketplace to buy and sell preloved goods.

Search by item

Bathroom / personal care items

Here are some ways to reuse and recycle unwanted bathroom items:

Reuse:

  • Unused and barely-used cosmetics, soaps, lotions, perfumes – post on your local Buy Nothing Group for someone else to try, or hold a swap with friends.

Recycle:

  • Blister packs (for medication)Blooms the Chemist in North Perth; Greenleaf Pharmacies in Shenton Park, Subiaco and Herdsman; Chemist Warehouse (all stores)
  • Blister packs (disposable contact lenses only) – Abernethy Owens, Floreat, Urban Revolution
  • Cosmetic containersPriceline pharmacies accept a range of empty cosmetic containers for free, including glass bottles, pumps, caps and droppers, plastic tubes, bottles and containers, mascara tubes, wands and eyeliners, lip products, and palettes and compacts (including the mirrors).
  • Medicines (expired) – old medicines can cause environmental damage if thrown in general waste. Instead, take your expired and unwanted medicines to your local pharmacy so they can be safely disposed of via the RUM Project (Return Unwanted Medicines Project). Click here for accepted items. Sharps and vapes are NOT included in this project.
  • Nail polish and remover – these items are flammable and classified as hazardous household waste. Please keep them out of your bins and take them to the West Metro Recycling Centre for free and safe disposal.
  • Skincare packaging made from plastic and glass – Urban Revolution
Books & Stationery

Books, art and stationery supplies can’t be recycled in your yellow-lidded bin. But they can be reused in many ways.

Art & craft supplies, stationery, and educational supplies:

  • Bring pencils, working pens, erasers, markers, scissors, unused exercise books and pencil cases in good condition to the West Metro Recycling Centre for donation to GiveWrite, who will pass them on to teachers and students in need (no lever arch files please).
  • Give away on your local Buy Nothing Facebook Group
  • REmida take all types of materials for reuse in school and community art projects, including CDs. Contact them via email to find out what projects they’re working on and if your items will be suitable.
  • Officeworks recycles used pens and markers (no wooden writing equipment).

Books:

  • Paraquad Book Bazaar in Shenton Park accepts donations of used books (no textbooks).
  • Save the Children Book Sale at UWA accepts donations (no textbooks or magazines).
  • Drop off your unwanted books for passers-by to enjoy at a Street Library near you.
  • Secondhand bookstores like Elizabeth’s in the city and Pulp Fiction Book Exchange in Whitfords
Bricks, tiles, pavers and more

Renovating? Try these options before disposing of your construction and demolition waste

Reuse options:

  • WA Brick Match has a recycling program to collect and reuse second-hand bricks, pavers and roof tiles. Minimum quantities and conditions apply. Click for more info. 
  • Buy Nothing, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree – sell or give away your unwanted construction items.

Recycling options:

West Metro Recycling Centre –  bring us your old asphalt, bricks, concrete, pavers, tiles, rubble and sand for recycling. Click here for fees and charges.

Clothing & Textiles

Keeping clothing in the circular economy is great for your pocket, the community and the planet.

Learn more about textile waste through our (Re)Love Your Stuff campaign.

Repair:

Love it but can’t sew? Take your treasured garment to your local Repair Lab / Repair Cafe and skilled volunteers can help. Or, take torn clothes to your local alterations store for repair.

Reuse:

High-end fashion (local)

  • For money back on your designer labels, consider consignment stores like The Secret Closet
  • To support a cause with your fashion label donations, consider Magpie Conscious Collective or Dress for Success. Old ball gowns and evening wear can be donated to Frock Up – the Dress Library at the Town of Cambridge. This allows students (or you) to borrow quality gowns for special occasions for free. For more information, call Cambridge Library on 9383 8999 or send an email enquiry.

Everyday clothing in good condition

  • Come along to a WMRC clothes swap! You can bring your unwanted (but clean and good quality) items and exchange them for pieces you’ll want to wear. Clothing swaps are held a couple of times a year and will be listed on our events page when announced.
  • Donate to your local charity or op shop. Good Sammy and Paraquad Industries charity bins are available onsite at the West Metro Recycling Centre.
  • Sell your pieces online through Facebook Marketplace or Depop.
  • Buy Nothing – join your local group and offer the items you no longer need to your neighbours. Be sure to follow the group etiquette and be respectful of others. Everything on Buy Nothing must be gifted for free.
  • The Bindaring Clothing Sale is one of Perth’s biggest and best preloved clothing sales. Donation days are held in the lead up to the event in May – check their socials for details.
  • Youth charity FairGame would love your gently worn sneakers and other sports shoes. You can drop them off in our FairGame collection bin the next time you visit the West Metro Recycling Centre.

Recycle:

Clothing and textiles

  • H&M – Beyond repair? Drop your bag of unwanted clothing in the recycling box at your local store. All textiles are welcome – any brand, any condition – even odd socks, worn-out T-shirts and old sheets.
  • Sheridan Recycling Program – accepting any brand. Recycling collection point located in all stores.
  • Upparel will collect worn out shoes, clothing and bed linen (no unwashed items, underwear, carpet, duvets/doonas, pillows/cushions, handbags, soft toys or wire bras). For $25, you can fill a box containing 10kg of clothing and have it collected from your home. Upparel will sort the items and turn them into a new product that can be used in acoustic panelling and packaging.
  • Cut into pieces and use as rags or dischclothes
  • Cotton and linen items can be torn into strips and made into new items like rugs, baskets and dog chew toys in a process called ragging – why not attend a workshop or learn how to do it online.

Shoes

  • Sports stores like Rebel Sport collects old unusable sports shoes for TreadLightly, an Australian company that recycles the extracted rubber, leather and fibres into new products like gym mats, floors and playgrounds.
Electronic items, appliances & cords

If it still works, don’t throw it away! You can find a home for unwanted electronic items.

Repair:

  • Local electrician
  • Repair Cafe or Repair Lab

Reuse:

  • Buy Nothing
  • Facebook Marketplace
  • Gumtree – put it up for sale or list it for free
  • Tools ‘n’ Things Library – add your electronic items to an inventory for people to borrow.
  • Hello Initiative collects unwanted smartphones to help young people involved in the justice system stay connected.
  • Charities love kettles, heaters, fans, radios, electric frypans, toasters and extension cords – items they can re-sell or give to families experiencing hardship. Just make sure they are clean and in good working order. Find a charity near you.

Recycle:

Broken / beyond repair? Electronic appliances, computers, TVs, mobile phones, gaming devices and associated cords and cables can be taken to the West Metro Recycling Centre (for free) to be recycled.

Furniture & Mattresses

Furniture items that are clean, unbroken and in good condition can often be resold or rehomed by charities.

Try:

  • Posting it on your local Facebook Buy Nothing page, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree
  • Donating it to a local charity. If you have a single bed frame or clean single bed mattress you no longer need, contact Starting Over Support. Free home collections. Conditions apply.
  • Join the Garage Sale Trail

Mattresses and ensemble bases can be recycled at the West Metro Recycling Centre from $50 per mattress (find the full list of fees and charges here). Alternatively, book a collection from a mattress recycler such as Soft Landing or Perth Mattress and Furniture Recycling Company, or check if it can be collected in your Verge Valet bulk waste collection.

Garden / Shed Items

Decluttering the shed?

While these items cannot go in any of your kerbside bins, they can be safely disposed of or recycled for free at the West Metro Recycling Centre:

Toys & Sports Equipment

Before you throw unwanted or broken toys in your general waste bin, see if there’s another option.

  • Your local toy library may accept donations of quality toys in good condition. There are toy libraries in Subiaco, Cottesloe, Claremont and Cambridge.
  • Get help fixing broken toys at a Repair Lab or Repair Café event near you.

The West Metro Recycling Centre accepts the following kids’ items for reuse (for free!):

Kitchen Items

Not suitable for donation?

The following items can be dropped off for free at the West Metro Recycling Centre:

Refrigerated items (air conditioners, fridges and freezers) are also accepted at the West Metro Recycling Centre for a de-gassing fee starting at $17.

What about food scraps?

  • All food scraps (including teabags, coffee grounds, meat and bones) can go in your FOGO bin if you have one
  • Most can go in your compost bin or worm farm
  • Try your local community garden, eg Earthwise in Subiaco or St Lukes in Mosman Park
Manchester, including sheets & towels

Avoid throwing textiles in your bin and reuse or recycle them instead.

Try:

  • Cutting sheets / towels into cleaning rags.
  • Donating old sheets and towels to the local Cat Haven and Dogs’ Refuge Home in Shenton Park (a collection bin is located at the West Metro Recycling Centre). Textile donations are also welcome at Animal Aid. These organisations do not accept fitted sheets or anything with stuffing (doonas, pillows, sleeping bags).
  • Upparel will collect worn out shoes, clothing and bed linen (no unwashed items, underwear, carpet, duvets/doonas, pillows/cushions, handbags, soft toys or wire bras). For $25, you can fill a box containing 10kg of clothing and have it collected from your home. Upparel will sort the items and turn them into a new product that can be used in acoustic panelling and packaging.
  • H&M – Drop your unwanted clothing in the recycling box at your local store. All textiles are welcome – any brand, any condition. Find out more about their recycling process here.
  • The Sheridan Recycling Program accepts bed linen from any brand. Recycling collection point located in all stores.
Packing Materials

Have you tried reusing or rehoming your packing material?

Bubble wrap – reuse it to protect items for postage or interlay between fragile items before stacking.

Cardboard – Before collapsing large cardboard boxes for recycling, offer them to your local Buy Nothing Community. Chances are, someone’s moving and could use them. Otherwise, take your excess cardboard to the West Metro Recycling Centre for free.

Polystyrene – Bought a new TV or computer? Keep bulk polystyrene out of general waste and take it to the West Metro Recycling Centre (for free) to be recycled into new products.

Shredded paper – You can’t put shredded paper in your recycling bin, BUT you can:

  • add it to your compost bin or worm farm, or donate it to your local community garden for theirs
  • use it as animal bedding for small pets, eg hamsters, guinea pigs or chickens
  • line gift hampers
  • use in place of bubble wrap to protect delicate items when moving or posting
  • make weed mats
  • make firebricks
  • place around seedlings as protective mulch
  • place in the bottom of your FOGO kitchen caddy to absorb odours and liquids.