Australia’s war on waste has kicked into overdrive in recent times, with the rise in reusable coffee cups and cutlery taking over cafes everywhere, phasing out single-use plastic bags in grocery stores, and zero-waste kitchens making their mark on the food scene.
However, while we’ve taken big steps to “reduce, reuse, and recycle”, it’s the latter where Aussies seem to be stumbling, with a whopping 20% of what we send to landfill able to be recycled.
If deciding what goes in which bin and where has you more confused than a laundry care label, we get you. Luckily, Sydney-based start-up RecycleSmart is teaming up with local councils to make sorting your waste a breeze with their awesome new Power Pickup service.
Simply book a Power Pickup via the app or website, leave your bag of recyclables on your doorstep for collection, and RecycleSmart will make sure all items go where they’re supposed to. The best bit? Each bag only costs $2, plus during the month of May, RecycleSmart will adopt a sea turtle for every single pick up. So you can feel extra good about your efforts.
No more sorting or deciphering back-of-the-pack symbols—RecycleSmart takes all those iffy categories of waste like soft plastics, problem waste (like batteries, globes, and sealed paint), E-waste, and that maybe-I’ll-just-donate-it pile of old clothes, shoes, and textiles we’ve all got hiding in a cupboard somewhere.
"We are here to change the way people feel about recycling so they recycle more things, more often,” says Giorgio Baracchi, CEO and co-founder of RecycleSmart. “We believe recycling should be something you look forward to doing."
We reckon saving over 37,000kg of waste (and counting!) is definitely something to look forward to, and with an easy three-click process and user-friendly interface, it’s never been more accessible.
RecycleSmart currently serves five council areas throughout Sydney, including the City of Sydney, Randwick City, Sutherland Shire, City of Canada Bay, Camden and Mosman.
If you’re in one of the serviced areas and you’re keen to help the sea turtles and level up your recycling game, head here.
Image credit: David Troeger
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