HomeCycle
HomeCycle doorstep recycling – put more out, less often!
HomeCycle is the new doorstep recycling service that will replace RecycleSmart for Inner West residents, with collections commencing on Monday 10 March. Recycling and reuse through HomeCycle and other local drop off points makes reducing waste to landfill easy! It will follow a very similar process, with added benefits such as being easier to make and keep track of bookings, and a user-friendly bookings website.
HomeCycle has a two-bag minimum for collections (compared to the previous two-bag maximum), allowing residents to divert more from landfill per pickup.
Find out more about HomeCycle
Using the HomeCycle program will increase the volume of items picked up, such as soft plastics, making it easier for those without access to local available drop off points to recycle tricky items. The new program has a minimum requirement of two bags of items for recycling.
There is no limit to the amount of material that can be picked-up through HomeCycle. Recycle more items with fewer collections from your home!
As more is collected, less bookings are needed.
- More residents across the Inner West can access the service
- Wait times are reduced for pickups
- Less truck movements, more environmentally friendly
When can I book?
- Monday 3 March – HomeCycle doorstep recycling online bookings open
- Monday 10 March – HomeCycle doorstep recycling pickups start
- Tuesday 1 April onwards – RecycleSmart Council-funded bookings will be cancelled
What if I have an existing RecycleSmart booking?
- Residents with RecycleSmart collections booked before 31 March 2025 will still be picked up.
- Residents with RecycleSmart collections booked after 31 March 2025 will need to re-book via HomeCycle.
- Residents can book a HomeCycle pickup now.
How does it work?
- Create an account
- Book your pickup (you must have at least 2 bags, the more the better!)
- Place your items in an accessible spot for pickup
- You'll get a notification email or SMS once it's been collected
What items are accepted through HomeCycle?
- Soft plastics
- Clothing (wearable and unwearable)
- Shoes/sneakers (wearable and unwearable)
- E-waste (mobile phones, computers, ear/headphones, screens etc.)
- Blister packs (medicine packets)
- Bed linen
- Toys (usable toys only)
- Small household electronics (with plug or cord)
- Batteries
- X-rays (remove personal information first)
- Coffee pods
- Printer cartridges
Availability and amount per pickup
Due to the popularity of the service, we’ve changed provider and removed maximum bag limits. We hope that collecting more means residents book less, allowing more residents to access doorstep recycling services.
This service is funded by Council ratepayers and the number of pickups available per month is limited.
Therefore, please consider residents in your community who can’t access convenient drop-off locations for soft plastics, textiles and batteries.
- Minimum amount – ensure you have a minimum of two bags ready for pickup...the more the better!
- No maximum amount – as there is no maximum amount per pickup, please save up your items and present more items less frequently to share the available bookings without increasing costs.
Use other free local drop offs
Soft plastics recycling is returning to supermarkets and there are many recycling options in our community for clothing, shoes and linen. These are easy to use when you're shopping or taking a walk in the neighbourhood. Preloved reusable items can also be donated on social media platforms to ensure someone gets the use out of them.
Other recycling options are often funded through product stewardship. Product stewardship is when companies pay for the recycling of their own products.
By using other drop off, donation or product stewardship options where they are available instead of the HomeCycle, you free up the service for those who really need it the most (e.g. those with a physical restriction/impairment or without own transport) and save ratepayer funds that can be used on other resource recovery programs.
See what other options are available at our A-Z recycling guide.
Why can't these items go in my yellow lid recycling bin?
Recycling facilities are set up with technology and equipment to deal with specific types of materials and containers. Items like soft plastic and textiles get tangled in machinery, so can't be accepted. Local drop off points like supermarkets for soft plastic, clothing/textile bins and, doorstep recycling service providers like HomeCycle, offer dedicated sorting and recycling to maximise recycling and minimise waste to landfill.
How are my items recycled and repurposed?
Soft plastics are shredded, chemically treated and processed into reusable oil and carbon ash by APR Plastics.
Electronics are sorted and broken down into various materials for recycling. Batteries can be recycled into new ones. Mobile phone components can be used to make new technology, reducing the need for the mining of raw materials.
Clothing and linen in good condition are donated to charity or reused in communities that need them.
Unwearable clothing is repurposed into rags in the industrial sector.
Coffee pods are separated for their resources. Coffee grounds are composted and the aluminium casings are recycled into new products.
X-rays have the silver removed and turned into new silver products, like jewellery, and the remaining film is added to road base bitumen.
Printer cartridge recycling recovers the plastics, metals, ink and toner where it is resold as raw materials for manufacturing.