RecycleSmart caters to council

RecycleSmart is making the collection of hard to recycle items easier with a new direct service offered to councils around the country.

To expand on its existing pick-up services, on-demand recycling business RecycleSmart is now offering a new flexible solution to better meet councils’ needs.

Currently, RecycleSmart picks up recyclable items that can’t be disposed of in residents’ kerbside bins, including soft plastics, e-waste, batteries, polystyrene, blister packs, mattresses and printers.

With hopes to reduce contamination and hazardous waste dumping, RecycleSmart will slowly roll out two new offerings – small-volume collections and less frequent “clean-up” collections.

Roxane Uzureau, Business Development and Council Relationships Officer at RecycleSmart, says the customisable service supports RecycleSmart’s mission to offer a truly convenient home collection service for hard to recycle items.

“We understand that councils have different price points and collection requirements, that is why we aim to provide a completely customisable experience for them when choosing frequency and the size of pickups.

“Councils have the choice of deciding how often they want to offer the pickups in the Local Government Area (LGA) and how much they want to subsidise the pricing for residents,” says Roxane.

“This offering allows us to have greater flexibility with varying council budgets and their end goals for waste collection.”

Roxane says the service is a self-sufficient system accessible to all residents in an LGA that is offering the service.

“Through the RecycleSmart app, residents can order a pickup for their hard-to-recycle items. They will get advice through the app, based on what size pickup they need and if it is subsidised. If the pickup they select is not subsidised, it will simply show up as a paid option.”

Roxane says the extra-large pickup is ideal for larger items such as bikes, computers and furniture.

“The process is entirely hands off for the council once they choose to enter this service with us,” she says.

“There is very little need for administrative involvement from their end.”

Fighting dumping

Roxane says RecycleSmart aims to eliminate illegal dumping by providing the service directly to residents’ doors.

“Currently, to recycle bulky items some residents must drive to charity shops or recycling centres and try their luck at handing it over. If their items aren’t accepted there, residents are then required to store it at home and wait for a hard rubbish kerbside pickup,” she says.

“We get feedback from people who have tried to drop items off but have been turned away, this shows there isn’t great communication about what’s accepted and where.

“If it becomes inconvenient to recycle, people are going to resort to dumping their stuff.”

Roxane says the service will not only benefit councils but also residents, such as the elderly, physically impaired, new parents and shift workers, who can’t transport items to a recycling centre or access nine-to-five services.

“We want to bring the service of the recycling centre to people’s homes,” she says.

The service will allow people to dispose of hard-to-recycle items. Image: RecycleSmart

Tailored servicing

Pickup options vary depending on location and population density which, Roxane says, means each council can benefit from the service.

“Some council areas consist of people living in high-rise buildings where they don’t have as much storage space as those living in housing with large garages,” she says.

“But for regional and remote council areas, where people do have the space to store large items, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are able to dispose of items easily. There might not be a recycling centre around, they might not be mobile, they might have a small car. There are many reasons why this service can help everyone.”

For those who are unsure about what can and can’t be recycled, Roxane encourages the use of the recycling encyclopedia in the RecycleSmart app.

The ‘Recyclopedia’ is an itemised index outlining how to recycle and dispose of a multitude of items. Each participating council has its own tailored version.

“It tells people which bin to use specific to their residential address,” Roxane says.

“If an item can’t be thrown out in a bin, the app will direct them to a nearby recycling centre. And not only does it tell you where to take the item, it will give a description of what happens once it is recycled, how it’s done and what is recovered.”