Seven handy decluttering tips

Now is the perfect time to start to declutter your life and let go of items you no longer need. But before you start loading up your car for a trip to the tip, have a look at what you might be able to re-home or recycle.

1. Free workshop Thursday 30 May, 6.30 – 8.30pm

Join Tanya Lewis to learn how to ethically declutter your life

2. Donate

Get that warm fuzzy feeling by helping others and give your pre-loved good quality clothes, furniture or bric-a-brac to charity. A list of charities who may accept your items can be found at narco.org.au. There are also plenty of sites online for giving away items for free. 

Did you know? H&M retail shops accept clothes and textiles from any brand in any condition for reuse and recycling.

3. Add to your piggy bank

Sell or give away your items online using sites such as Gumtree, Ebay and Facebook. Local Facebook pages include Northern Beaches Buy, Swap & Sell, Northern Beaches Kids Classifieds and Northern Beaches Freebies.

Feeling a little nervous about selling or donating your items online or just don’t know how? We’ve got a Buy Sell Online workshop to support you.

4. Hold a market stall

Sell your items at a popular market on the Northern Beaches such as the Avalon Car Boot Sale or hold your own Second Hand Saturday and we will promote your event on Council’s website for free.

5. Give your items a new life

If you have broken wooden furniture or small electrical goods that could be repaired, come along to one of our workshops and learn how to fix them.

6. Recycle old phones and batteries

Got an old flip phone or an original iPhone you need to get rid of? Mobile phones and accessories can be recycled through Mobile Muster, the official mobile phone industry recycling program. Visit their website or call 1800 249 113 to find your nearest drop off point.

Batteries are accepted for recycling at Aldi stores (AAA, A, C, D and 9V only) and Battery World stores. Council’s Customer Service centres at Avalon, Mona Vale, Dee Why and Manly also accept batteries (up to 9V) and mobile phones for recycling.

7. E-waste drop off

Old televisions, desktop and portable computers, monitors, mice, keyboards, cables, drives, printers and scanners are all e-waste and cannot be picked up in Council’s bulky goods collection.

You can take up to 15 items of e-waste for recycling free of charge to:

For information on how to responsibly dispose of items not listed, check out our A-Z guide to recycling, reuse and disposal.

Remember! The best thing you can do is reduce your waste in the first place by buying less stuff and select items that will last.