Got pre-loved unwanted items you don’t know what to do with?
If your unwanted items are in good condition, consider giving them away to friends or family, selling them online, or dropping them off at your local community recycling centre or charity op shop. Be sure to call first to check they can receive the items you have, and you may find some op shops will pick up good quality items.
If these options won’t work for you for whatever reason, we’re here to help you with the council’s annual inorganic collection.
Bookings for the next 12 months of inorganic collections are now open - book your inorganic collection.
What can be reused?
Inorganic items are collected using two trucks, one taking recyclable material and the other taking items for landfill.
If an item or material can be repaired, repurposed or reused, it will go to a warehouse to be sorted and given a second life. Scrap metal, electronics, and whiteware are recycled or reused. Bikes and lawnmowers are either fixed for reuse or kept for spare parts.
If an item is not recoverable, it will go straight into the landfill truck. Mattresses and couches are often sent straight to landfill because they are badly stained or broken.
Where do your reusable inorganics go?
Many items are given to local community recycling centres or one of more than 150 community organisations registered to receive reusable items from Auckland’s inorganic collections. These items are donated free of charge to registered organisations, which include opportunity shops, art groups, schools, social enterprises and non-profits.
Tapa Talanoa Collective – a restoration story
Community group Tapa Talanoa Collective were called to the inorganics collection warehouse last July after tapa cloth had been collected. They were thrilled to find genuine traditional Tongan ngatu and Samoan ie toga. Saved from ending up in landfill, these culturally important treasures are now being restored.
Taking advantage of the inorganic collection means that Aucklanders can dispose of items they no longer need, while diverting material from landfill and benefiting our local communities.
Book your collection online
Find the inorganic collection week for your property by visiting the online booking tool.
Enter your details to book to ensure your items will be picked up. When it gets closer to the time, you’ll receive a reminder telling you the exact date.
Put your items out on your property in the morning of the collection day, or the evening before at the earliest. If you put them out for collection too far ahead of time, it is more likely the weather may damage things that could have been reused.
Your items should be placed on your property, not on the berm or the footpath. Put them in a neat pile in an accessible place but still within your property boundary. Collecting items from on-property ensures materials are intact and reusable.
You can also leave a helpful note when making your booking about where your items will be.
E-waste
The inorganic collection can also dispose of or recycle electronic waste or “e-waste” like old laptops, phones and cameras, as these can often be disassembled for parts or refurbished.
If any of your electric devices have removable batteries, please remove the batteries, tape over the terminals and take them to a drop-off location, like Bunnings or Mitre 10.
Check our list of examples of What you can and cannot put out for inorganic collection.
Visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/whereitgoes to search for places to recycle or get rid of specific items.
