Recycling is one of the five ways to achieve efficient, sustainable, and maximum waste management. Others are repurposing, reducing, reusing, and repairing. Despite the good intention, not everyone knows how to recycle rubbish. For example, it is not just throwing items in the wheelie bin. Our team at Pro Rubbish Removals Brisbane will help you how to responsibly dispose of and declutter your unwanted items.?
What is Recycling?
Let us start with a definition of what recycling is so that we can get a perspective of what is to come. Recycling is the process of collecting items that would otherwise be thrown away as waste and transforming them into new products.?
From our definition, it means that the essence of recycling is so that items don’t end up as waste in the landfill. That means, every effort you undertake to ensure that items are put into use without being thrown away can be called recycling. Put differently, donating, selling, repairing and reusing all fall under the category of recycling.?
This definition and explanation is a lifesaver for most people. It creates a mental note that recycling is and should not be the sole duty of the government or some corporate organizations. Instead, recycling is something we can all do. Do you have an old but pristine jacket you haven’t used in a year, donate it to charity instead of throwing it out in the dump? See, you just recycled.??
Household items you can recycle?
You can recycle items made of foam, metal, wood, fibres, glass, etc. However, some items like electronics that contain materials like gold may need to be professionally recycled.?
Appliances: you can recycle appliances by swapping through retailers or ask them to pick up an old one after buying a new one to ensure that it will be put to good use.?
Furniture: a piece of furniture contains different recyclable materials like metal, wood, and foam. You can dismantle it and repurpose every material or simply find a new home for it.?
Clothes: wears are by far the easiest to recycle of the bunch. Most of us are guilty of abandoning clothes we don’t wear anymore in our cabinets to gather dust until we find out we outgrew them. Instead, you can redesign or repurpose them, or donate them to charity.?
Donate?
There is a single rule for donating used items: would you be proud to receive such a gift from a friend or family member? Put differently since we all have different standards: will you be proud to give this to a family member or friend??
Just because you don’t need an extra pair of clothes does not make it junk. After all, one man’s gold is another man’s junk. If selling is not an option, consider giving them out to charities.?
How to donate?
Sort your pile
One-time wholesome donations are more convenient than frequent donations. So, create a bin or storage section for keeping items you wish to donate. If you want, you can take a day or week to comb through your home for items you haven’t used in a while and would probably not use ever again. Separate them into the donate section and do this until you are sure you have covered every item in your home. While at it, you will discover that your home is now free from clutter.?
Assess the quality?
It is important to only give items that are in good condition. So, while sorting your pile, separate items with broken zippers, missing buttons, stains, faults, and dents. Repair and fix broken or damaged items and add them back to the donate section.?
Give it out?
There are different ways to donate. You can simply give it to your neighbours, friends or families or host an item swap in front of your home where people can come and pick any item they want. Alternatively, you can donate online or to a local charity.?
Sell or swap
Another way to recycle your old items is to sell or swap them for new ones. Don't spend money on new items. Instead, swap old ones that are still in good condition that you haven't used in a while. This way, you will save costs and get rid of the old pile at the same time.?
Conclusion
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Australians produce up to 540kg of household waste per year. That is approximately 10kg per person every week. We also know that sending items to landfills does not eliminate the problem. Even if we can’t avoid rubbish, we can safely deal with waste by recycling and donating them to others. Recycle old items and let us create a better world for the coming generation.?