Did you know, 60 hard rubbish collections are booked in Yarra each day? That leads to over 2900 tonnes of hard rubbish being collected annually. That is the equivalent of collecting 6,500 grand pianos every year.

In the last year we were able to repair, reuse and recycle more than 880 tonnes of the 2946 tonnes of hard rubbish taken to the Clifton Hill Depot. This includes:

• Bicycles sent to Second Chance Cycles.
• Whitegoods such as dishwasher, dryer, washing machine, furnace, hot water heater and stoves sent to Kids off the Kerb.
• Clothes sent to The Salvation Army.
• Clothes and kids toys sent to Southern Cross Recycling (SCR).
• Mattresses sent to Soft Landing.
• Recyclable metals like steel sent to Norstar Steel Recyclers.
• Electronic waste computers, televisions and batteries sent to Techcollect.

The Clifton Hill Depot is also trialling as a collection point for St Kilda Mums. Yarra residents can drop off quality items for babies and children that will be given to families in need.

Despite this effort, more than 2000 tonnes of hard rubbish is still going to landfill every year. 

With the amount of waste increasing, we are asking residents to consider some alternatives. These include:

• Taking good quality items to your local op shop. If you don’t have a car, the items are too big, or you have limited mobility, many op shops can also organise a collection.
• List the item for free on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace.
• Take your broken items to a local repair café or men’s shed to keep using it.
• Donate items to the Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network (RIMERN).

For more information on where to repair, reuse or recycle items, visit Yarra's Circular Economy Map. This includes:

• clothes
• furniture and household products
• electronic waste

Every little bit that you donate for reuse or recycling before a hard rubbish collection will help reduce what is sent to landfill. These are steps we can all take to build a more sustainable Yarra.