HomeCycle
HomeCycle is a free service that collects hard to recycle items and reusable household goods that can’t go in your yellow recycling bin. HomeCycle offer a convenient doorstep pickup, making it especially helpful for community members who may find it difficult to take items to specific recycling facilities, such as the Community Recycling Centre.
How does HomeCycle work?
- Check what items can be collected.
- Create an account through HomeCycle's booking page.
- Book your HomeCycle Collection (a minimum of three bags or boxes applies per booking).
- Pack and prepare your items for collection, ensuring each bag or box can be safely lifted by one person.
- Place your items in a safe and accessible spot near your front door by 7am on your booked collection day. You’ll receive an SMS reminder beforehand.
- Ensure only items intended for collection are left by your front door to prevent them being collected by mistake.
- An SMS notification will be sent to notify you that the driver is on the way.
- Your items will be collected on your booked collection day and an SMS notification will be sent to let you know your pickup is complete.
- Reusable bags (which are sturdy) will be returned where you left them, whilst thinner plastic reusable bags will be taken and repurposed.
- Your preloved items are collected and sorted by our friendly team and processed by a variety of local service providers, helping to support a circular economy.
- Ready for another collection? You’ll need to book a new one when you’re ready, as HomeCycle collections are not automatically rescheduled.
Accepted items
- Soft plastics - Empty and clean soft plastics including plastic bags, bubble wrap, biscuit and lolly packaging, frozen food bags, cereal bags and plastic film.
- Clothes and textiles in good clean condition - Textiles in good rewearable condition including clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, towels and linen. Underwear, swimwear and socks are not accepted.
- Unwearable clothes and textiles in unusable condition - Textiles in unwearable or unusable condition including clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, towels and linen. Underwear, swimwear and socks are not accepted.
- Blister packs - Such as pill packets
- Small household electrical items - E-Waste (electrical) items with a plug, power cord or battery
- Small domestic batteries - Rechargeable and non-rechargeable small handheld batteries – including AA, AAA, C, D 9V, 6V. Lantern, watch and button batteries are also accepted. Package batteries together in a zip lock bag for safety.
- Small household items (bric-a-brac and toys) - Household items in good working/ reusable condition including toys (excluding soft plush toys), homewares, décor, antiques and kitchenware.
- Oversized cardboard and packaging boxes - Boxes must be broken down/ flat packed, with all tape and other packing materials such as polystyrene removed.
- X-Ray film
Items not accepted
You can pack smaller bags inside larger ones, but please ensure each bag you leave out is under 8kg to help our drivers lift them safely. Please also keep different types of items, like textiles and soft plastics, in separate bags.
What happens to the collected items?
- Clothing, linen, bric-a-brac and toys in good condition are donated to charity or reused in communities that need them.
- Unwearable clothing is repurposed into wiper rag servicing the industrial sector.
- Electronics are sorted and broken down into various materials for recycling.
- Batteries can be recycled into new ones. Problem wastes are sorted at the Community Recycling Centre and provided to local service providers for processing.
- X-rays have the silver removed and turned into new silver products, like jewellery, and the remaining film is added to road-base bitumen.
- Soft plastics are shredded, chemically treated and processed into re-usable oil and carbon ash.
- Cardboard is recycled to be used in the re-manufacturing of new products.
To learn more about HomeCycle, please call 02 9598 8122.
Our impact since 1 September 2025:
| Total bags collected |
2,776 |
| Total kilos collected |
5,935 |
| Average bags per collection |
4.56 |
Why did we change from RecycleSmart to HomeCycle?
We’ve changed from RecycleSmart to HomeCycle, as they can collect more bags per pickup. We expect this will reduce wait times, allowing more households to participate, whilst helping to minimise vehicle emissions through improved collection efficiency.
Who can use the HomeCycle service?
Residents who live in the Willoughby City Council local government area. Items will not be accepted from local businesses.
How often can I use the service?
Each household is eligible for one collection per month. Wait times may vary depending on demand, as there is a limited number of collection bookings available each month.
Please note: To ensure an efficient and sustainable service HomeCycle require a minimum of three bags or boxes to be presented per booked collection.
How many items can I put out for collection?
A minimum of 3 bags or boxes is required per collection booking. Please ensure to put out at least 3 bags or boxes every collection to assist HomeCycle in reducing the number of collections from your home. This will allow more households to access this service and help to minimise vehicle emissions through improved collection efficiency.
How do I put my items out for collection?
All items must be packed into bags or boxes, ensuring each one is light enough to be safely lifted and carried by one person. Once packed please leave your bagged or boxed items in a safe and accessible spot near your front door by 7am on your collection day. Ensure no other items are left by your front door to prevent them being collected by mistake.
When packing items please make sure to pack each category in a separate bag or box. For example pack e-waste items only in one box and your soft plastics in a separate bag. We recommend labelling your bags and boxes clearly to prevent confusion.