There are several options in order of environmental friendliness. Which one you choose depends on whether the item is still usable.
Re-use
This includes selling, donating or giving it away to someone who needs it. This way none of it ends up in landfill.
Advertise it through Gumtree, the Trading Post, Ebay or put an ad in your local newspaper. If you have a lot of goods, holding a garage sale might bring some extra cash.
Give it away on freecyle, an online re-use organisation where users post items they no longer need for collection and request items they need.
Join Freecycle - it has groups throughout NSW
Give it to charity - many charities will collect used goods. Generally soft furniture must not be torn or too worn.
Recycle
Goods are recycled into other materials or products.
Mattress recycling facilities
E-waste
- Wollongong
Full list of places where you can recycle your old computers. - Sydney (Marrickville)
Reverse garbage at will take computer parts, some furniture and certain building materials along with paper, stationery, haberdashery and more. - E-waste collects and recycles over 95% of old electrical appliances such as televisions, fridges, microwaves, mobile phones, LCDs, plasmas and computers. Fees apply. Call 1800 392 783 or get an online estimate.
Refrigerator
Recycle your second fridge and upright freezer and receive $15 through the Fridge Buyback program.
Television
A new national television and computer recycling scheme allows free drop off of at collection sites. It is being progressively rolled out from July 2012 to December 2013.
Subscribe to updates on the scheme
Disposal
Cleanup day - ask your local council when they hold cleanup collections. You simply put the goods out on the kerb the night before collection day. This is usually a free service though some councils charge a fee for collecting whitegoods.