Community Reuse Initiatives

Community reuse organisations are as diverse as the goods they accept and their volunteers. They offer excellent opportunities to reuse valuable resources, keeping them in use for longer and saving them from wasting away in landfill. Some of these organisations also offer other great benefits such as helping volunteers to learn new upcycling skills or providing needed items to disadvantaged communities.

If you know of a community initiative that isn't listed on this page, please let us know by emailing enquiries@planetark.org 

Note: some of the initiatives listed on this page are for-profit businesses that provide a service to the community by diverting waste from landfill or reducing consumption of new products.

Baby and children's items - from prams to toys

National

Kindershare is an online portal for parents to hire equipment that won't be in use for more than a few months to up to a year or two. Items vary from prams to toys to portacots.

Toy Libraries Australia has more than 280 libraries around the country providing local families a range of quality fun and educational toys, games, puzzles and activities to borrow or hire. You can also donate pre-loved toys that are in good condition by dropping them off at your local toy library during opening hours.

Toys For Joy is a program run by Big W and Terracycle. Pre-loved toys can be dropped off at collection bins in every Big W store. Toys that are in good condition will be passed onto the Salvation Army to be rehomed. Remaining toys that can be recycled under the scheme are, where possible, are recycled into their raw materials so they can be used to make new products. Visit the website for a list of items that are not accepted.

New South Wales

The Joy of Giving is a registered charity that rehomes pre-loved children’s toys and books. You can donate items by dropping them off at their Artamon warehouse or by paying for a courier to pick them up. The Joy of Giving also holds toy swap events which are a great opportunity to trade toys and books for new ones that have been used by another family.

We Care Connect collect pre-loved and new baby and children’s items that are in very good condition to rehome to families in need on the Central Coast and the Hunter Valley. You can donate prams, cots, clothing, shoes, bouncers, breast pumps, change tables and more, if they are in very good condition or new. There are numerous drop-off points located in the Central Coast and Hunter Valley. Visit the website for details about locations and what items are accepted.

Peninsula Seniors Toy Recyclers has operated on the Northern Beaches of Sydney since 1975. Toys in good condition can be donated by dropping them off at either of their two locations in Ingleside. The toys will be restored and shared with local charities so they can be rehomed. Visit the website for locations and details about what items are accepted.

Victoria

Our Village collects and rehomes essential baby and children’s items such as clothing, toys, cots, prams, baby carriers and highchairs (items must be in good condition). Our Village is a registered charity that works with social workers and maternal and child health nurses to rehome donated items to families in need.

Bicycles

Bicycles For Humanity is a global volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation that uses donated bikes to help alleviate poverty through sustainable transport. You can donate your pre-loved bicycle so it can be rehomed in an African country or remote areas of Australia. Volunteers repair and refurbish the bicycles before they are rehomed, however, they must be in good condition to be accepted. They have locations in Perth and Melbourne.

Bikes4Life is a charity that collects and restores bicycles to be distributed to some of the most marginalised and impoverished communities in the world. You can donate your pre-loved bicycle (must be in good working condition) by dropping it off at one of their warehouses. They have locations in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Revolve ReCYCLING is a Sydney-based organisation that accepts unwanted bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters and other Personal Transport Vehicles (PTVs) for repair and recycling. You can donate your pre-loved bike or PTV by dropping it off at one of their locations in Greater Sydney or Canberra. They also offer a pick-up service for people in Sydney for a small fee.

Brainwave Bikes is a second-hand bike store in Melbourne that repairs and refurbishes bikes. The organisation is a social enterprise that uses its profits to fund Brainwave Australia, a charity that supports children with brain injury and illness and their families. Bike donations are accepted with various drop-off locations around Melbourne (visit the website for details). 

Tasmanian Bike Collective is a registered charity that provides support and mentorship to young people by working on and riding bikes. You can donate your pre-loved bike to be repaired or refurbished so it can be used again (bikes should mostly be free of rust and in repairable condition). Visit the website for details about how to donate your bike.

Books

Book swaps are a great opportunity to find a great read on the cheap! Many local councils or organisations organise their own book swaps, so keep an eye out. 

Street Libraries are beautiful homes for pre-loved books, planted in front yards or community hot spots. They are accessible from the street and are an invitation to share the joys of reading with your neighbours.

Computers and Mobile Phones

Recycling Near You allows you to search for organisations that recycle and/or refurbish computers in your area. On this page, however, we've listed community groups (often not-for-profit) that refurbish and reuse computers.

The following organisations refurbish computers in good condition and will give away or sell them cheaply to people experiencing disadvantage. Many do this as part of a training/employment program. If you are considering donating your unwanted computer to any of these organisations, check what requirements they may have (e.g. regarding computer type, age, capacity, etc).

New South Wales

• WorkVentures accepts donations of computers and corporate technology (a minimum of 25 items is required for collection). Depending on their condition, computers are either refurbished to resell to those less fortunate or are responsibly recycled.
• Computers For Young and Old in Jamisontown collects unwanted computers and other electrical equipment for refurbishment and reuse. The donated items are passed onto those in need such as refugees and disadvantaged communities. They also provide a collection service in the NSW region, as well as the ACT, Queensland and Victoria depending on the volume.
• Asylum Seeker Centre in Sydney accepts second-hand laptops, tablets and mobile phones, which will be passed onto people seeking asylum in Australia. 
• The Reconnect Project is a charity and social enterprise in Sydney that refurbishes donated mobile phones, tablets, computers and other electrical appliances to donate to people in need.

 Australian Capital Territory

• The Tech Shed in Canberra is a technology access program that provides affordable technology to charities, pensioners, disability clients and more. They accept donations of IT equipment, whether the items are functional or not. Donated items that can be repaired or refurbished are passed onto people in need.

Western Australia

• The Wanneroo Community Men’s Shed accepts second-hand computers for reuse, refurbishment and recycling. The computers, once refurbished, are for sale at affordable prices to Centrelink recipients, charity organisations and non-profit organisations. Men's Shed is a non-profit organisation accessible to all men that aims to advance the health and well-being of the members and to encourage greater social inclusion through participating in community activities.

Victoria

• Computerbank Victoria in Melbourne accepts donations of all brands of clean, undamaged laptops and tablets suitable for refurbishment and reuse.
• Melbourne-based social enterprise Enable accept both working and non-working computer equipment for refurbishment and recycling. They accept small and large quantities of computers, printers, monitors, and computer accessories from businesses, corporations, governments and not-for-profits. Equipment that has been refurbished is sold through their online store, In the Click, which provides work and education to disadvantaged jobseekers.
• The St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) in Victoria has launched the volunteer-run Green Sparks program to give quality electrical goods a second life. Victorians wanting to donate functioning computers can take them to a participating Vinnies during opening hours where they will be tested by trained staff.

Clothing, shoes and textiles

High End Hammy Downs is a website and app that allows users to swap children’s clothing.

Dress for Success accepts quality women's clothing and accessories (such as handbags, shoes and jewellery) that are suitable for job interviews or the workplace. Donated clothes will help women in need thrive in job interviews or other important life events. Dress for Success operates in NSW and the ACT, Western Australia, Tasmania, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Fashion retailers or wholesalers can donate brand new clothing to Thread Together. One third of new clothing goes from factory to landfill – Thread Together saves new clothing from landfill by passing it on to those in need.

Boomerang Bags is a global grassroots movement that originated in Burleigh Heads, Australia. The network of community groups is tackling textile waste by turning it into new bags, providing a more sustainable option to single-use plastic bags. You can donate various types of textiles to your local group including doona covers, pillowcases and leftover fabric. Visit the website to find a group near you.

Household goods and furniture

Garage Sale Trail is a nationwide festival of garage sales that aims to save goods from landfill by passing them onto new owners. Run every year in November, you can get involved by attending a garage sale and purchasing someone else's pre-loved goods, or by hosting your own garage sale. It's free to register a garage sale and you get tips, support and promotional materials to help you be successful.

West Welcome Wagon delivers second-hand furniture, household goods and whitegoods to asylum seekers in the western suburbs of Melbourne. To make a donation, please email donate@westwelcomewagon.org.au and provide your name, address and contact number with a description and photo of the item/s you wish to donate.

Rescue Resource NSW collect pet-related items and distribute them free of charge to animal rescue organisations and pounds across NSW. They have two drop-off locations in Penrth and Riverina.

The Mount Gambier ReUse Market in South Australia aims to reduce landfill by reusing and upcycling useful items. It's a place where you can get anything and everything second-hand - building materials, bikes, sports gear, garden equipment, spare parts, brick-a-brac, furniture, etc.

Stationery and office items

Having a system to reuse stationery within your workplace or organisation is an effective way and easy way to reuse stationery and reduce the purchase of new products that are not needed. It can be as simple as designating a particular cupboard as the stationery cupboard and asking staff to move any excess stationery away from their desks and into the stationery cupboard for other people to find and use.

The University of New South Wales (Kensington, Sydney) has established a Stationery Reuse Centre that accepts donations of unwanted stationery so they can be distributed for free to students and staff. Visit their website to find out what types of stationery they accept.

GreenCollect in Victoria offers office cleanouts, accepting a wide range of stationery, electrical equipment, small electronics, media and office items such as folders, document trays and magazine racks for reuse, remanufacture and recycling. They also have a collection service for office furniture that is in good condition.