Spring is the perfect time to refresh your home, but that doesn’t mean sending everything to landfill. With a little more effort, your spring clean can be a celebration of sustainability, creativity and community care.

Donate Thoughtfully

Start by sorting items into categories: Keep, Donate, Recycle, Repair, and Repurpose. For Items you no longer want that are still in good condition, consider selling the item or giving it to someone you know before donating.

If you are looking to donate an item, Brisbane has dozens of op shops who will take your donations in a range of different categories. You can often check the stores website or visit them in store to understand their donation process and the kinds of items they accept. Make sure donations are clean, functional, and genuinely useful to others.

Household Recycling Bin Tips

Your yellow-lidded bin is for common recyclables, but a few simple habits can make a big difference:

• Keep it clean: Ensure you empty all the food from containers before putting them in the recycling. You do not need to rinse them out, just make sure they are empty.
• Leave lids on: Plastic bottle lids should stay attached to help sorting machines identify the material.
• Scrunch foil: Collect small pieces of aluminium foil and scrunch them into a ball about the size of a tennis ball before recycling.
• No soft plastics: Items like plastic bags and wrappers can’t go in the yellow bin. Instead, take them to dedicated soft plastic drop-off points (check local supermarkets or council updates).
• Avoid wish-cycling: If you’re unsure whether something is recyclable, check Brisbane City Council’s Recycling Guide rather than guessing.

Bigger Recycling Solutions

For items that don’t fit in your household bin, Brisbane’s Resource Recovery Centres are your go-to:

• Accept over 16 types of materials including electronics, whitegoods, furniture, mattresses, and scrap metal.
• You can also drop off paint, batteries, and fluorescent lights at designated collection points.
• If your recycling bin is consistently full, you can request a larger bin from the council.

For hard-to-recycle items, consider:

• TerraCycle programs for things like beauty product packaging and coffee pods.
• Mobile Muster for old phones and accessories.
• Officeworks and Bunnings for e-waste and battery recycling.

Recycling well means less landfill, lower emissions, and more materials returned to the circular economy. It’s one of the easiest ways to make your spring clean truly sustainable.

Reuse Creatively

Before discarding, ask: can this be used differently?

• Old clothes can become cleaning rags, produce bags, or quilt patches.
• Glass jars make great storage containers for pantry staples or DIY cleaning products.
• Worn towels can be cut into reusable wipes or pet bedding.
• Cardboard boxes are perfect for organising drawers or storing seasonal items.

Reusing not only reduces waste, it sparks creativity and helps you see everyday items in a new light.

Want to take even more action to reduce your emissions? Try our free Carbon Calculator!