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How it works

The doorstep recycling service makes it easy to recycle tricky items from your home that don’t belong in red or yellow lid bins.

The service is run by SCRgroup on behalf of the City of Sydney. SCRgroup is an Australian company that partners with charities and social enterprises to support reuse and recycling.

Each household can book one collection per week, subject to availability.

Book a collection online

Download a poster for your apartment building

Step 1

Book a collection

If you live in the City of Sydney local area, you can book a free collection online.
Make sure you have at least two full bags of accepted items before booking—there’s no limit to how many bags we can collect.

Check the list of accepted items

Step 2

Get your items ready

Pack your items into reusable bags or boxes, grouping similar items where you can.
Label them with a note that says, “Doorstep recycling service”.

Place them in a safe and accessible spot near your front door by 8am on collection day.

If you live in an apartment building with secure access, you can leave your bags outside near the entry or letterboxes. If somebody is home to give the driver access, leave your bags in the lobby and buzz the driver in.

More on how to pack your items

Step 3

We’ll collect your items

We’ll send you a text after we’ve picked up your items.
Reusable bags will be returned empty to where you left them – just remember to bring them back in. Thin plastic bags won’t be returned.

How items are recycled or reused

Book a collection

• Clothing, linen and textiles

Wearable clothing, non-wearable clothing, swimwear, fashion accessories (hats, gloves, handbags, belts, jewellery), shoes, blankets, sheets and towels  – no wet clothing

• Electronics

Small appliances (kettle, toaster, iron, blender, alarm clock, radio, hairdryer, straightener, electric toothbrushes, remotes, power tools, DVDs/CDs/videotapes, vapes etc), small computers and accessories (laptops, tablets, e-readers, mouse keyboards, game consoles, speakers, remotes, cameras etc)

• Mobile phones

Mobile phones (including smartphones), landlines and accessories (cables, chargers, headphones)

• Toys

Good quality hard toys, in good working condition (batteries removed)

• Rigid polystyrene/styrofoam

From furniture, appliance or delivery packaging, plus rigid, clean polystyrene food containers, or food-grade polystyrene (keep pieces whole with all tape/glue removed) – no bendy or squishy items, like foam wrap, foam sheets, packing peanuts or bean bag filling

• Small batteries

Rechargeable, non-rechargeable, small handheld batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, 6V), lantern, watch and button batteries

• Printer cartridges

Inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges, toner bottles, fuser and drum units, fax rolls and print heads

• Light bulbs / fluorescent tubes

• Aluminium coffee pods

Place coffee pods in a clear soft plastic bag

• X-ray films

X-ray, MRI, and CT scans / films (paper envelopes removed)

• Paint

Water and oil-based paints in original containers. Tins must weigh less than 15kg each. Maximum 5 tins per booking.

• Empty blister packs

These are the pill packets made of plastic and foil. We also accept empty, fully foil pill packets. If your blister pack came in a cardboard box, recycle the box separately in your yellow lid bin at home. No business quantities.

• Chemicals

Poisons, pesticides, household and pool cleaners, motor oil and cooking oil. These can be recycled at a Household Chemical CleanOut collection

• Coffee cups

Pop them in Simply Cups bins at 7-11 stores

• Cosmetic containers

Take them to participating Mecca, Priceline, David Jones or Woolworths stores

• Large batteries

Car batteries, power tool batteries, e-bike batteries. See the battery guide for where to recycle them

• Gas bottles

• Smoke alarms

• Fire extinguishers

• Paint

We have temporarily stopped collecting paint due to a fire at our processing facility.

• Large items

Furniture, whitegoods, mattresses, large electronics, and workout machines. Instead book a free pick-up for bulky items

• Medicines

Drop them off at any pharmacy

• Non-electronic household items

Mirrors, bric-a-brac, kitchenware, camping and sports equipment, boardgames, books, bikes, prams

• Carpets, rugs, curtains, cushions, electric blankets, pillows and doonas/quilts/duvets

• Underwear and socks

In any condition

• Soft plastics

Regrettably, these must go in your red lid rubbish bin

• Items that can go in your recycling bins at home

Bottles, plastic containers, glass, cardboard, foil and cans – put them in your yellow lid bin

• Cardboard

What happens next

Your preloved items are collected and sorted by our friendly team members and processed by various local service providers, contributing towards a circular economy. Find out more about what happens to your items.

If something doesn’t go to plan

If your bags aren’t picked up before 3pm on your scheduled day, contact SCRgroup at [email protected] and they’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

If you forget to put out your bags, SCRgroup will be in touch with you to reschedule your booking.

If you need to change or edit your booking, log in to your account or call (02) 9066 5833. Changes need to be made by 4pm the day before your scheduled pick-up.

If items were left in your bag, they are likely not accepted. SCRgroup will contact you with more information.