Lane Cove is Decluttering Big Time – So What Do You Do With the Clutter?

Being at home has meant that many households have time on their hands to do spring cleaning in Autumn.  You may have decluttered but what do you do with the goods that you want to recycle or donate?

Dumping is still occurring outside Vinnies, The Red Cross Shops and St Michaels (see our cover photo taken on Saturday 6th June 2020). Lane Cove Charity shops have not re-opened.

That has not stopped people from dumping items out the front of the store (this creates a footpath hazard and also the goods are subjected to the elements which mean they will be ruined)

In the Cove is a member of the Lower North Shore Free Stuff and Low Waste Living Facebook Group.  At the start of the year, ITC was decluttering and we posted heaps of items on this site to pass on to someone who needed an item (a trampoline, saxophone, handbags and much more).  It was such a lovely feeling to give items to people who would reuse them.  However, during COVID19 they have had to suspend operations.

St Vincent’s De Paul Lane Cove

As ITC previously reported, Lane Cove ‘s St Vincent’s De Paul is closed.  There are signs advising goods should not be left out the back or the front of the shop.  This has not stopped illegal dumping. St Vinnies Crows Nest is open and West Ryde will open on 13th June 2020.

The statement below is on St Vinnes website:

“As we all respect our wider community by staying safe indoors, we understand it’s an ideal time for a spring clean, so have been working to provide a solution while we’re closed. We’ve had lots of feedback that our customers and supporters would still love to donate to us, so we’ve launched our new donation collection service, Donation Stations across Sydney. Each of these donation drop-off points is now ready to accept quality donations of clothes, bric-a-brac, books and household items.

We are welcoming quality donations now for when it’s time to re-open, as our shops raise essential funding for our community services which serve people facing poverty, homelessness and disadvantage.

For larger items, like furniture, we ask that you call ahead on 9350 9660 so we can assess our capacity to take them.

For your peace of mind, our Donation Stations are designed with social distancing measures in mind to reduce risks as much as possible, so we ask that people donate at these specific sites, rather than leaving items outside of the shops, donation bins or on the footpath.

Donations Station Sites – Open 9 am – 3.30 pm daily

Here are some handy tips on donating responsibly to help you get started:

• All Donation Stations are open 9 am – 3.30 pm daily, please come during these hours to ensure we can accept your donation.
• It’s never okay to leave goods outside bins or in front of charity shop fronts. If the bin is full, don’t leave your goods – donate at the donation station or come back later.
• Rubbish and damaged items belong in the garbage bin, not in a charity bin or donation station. If you wouldn’t give a second-hand item to a mate, don’t donate.
• If it’s dirty, damaged or dangerous, we won’t be able to accept it. If you do have items to dispose of that are not appropriate for donation, contact your local council to arrange a council pickup or to find your nearest waste station.”

An ITC Lane Cove Chatter told us the following:

“The Salvation Army Family Store in Grosvenor Street Neutral Bay will accept all donations ( not furniture) on Tuesdays and Wednesday’s between 9.30 am and 1.30 pm. If the door is not ajar, just knock.”

Clothing Bins

Charity Clothing Bins used to be dotted all around Lane Cove.  Now there are fewer bins.  Bins have been removed from Rosenthal Avenue and the Caltex Service Station on Burns Bay Road.  The Smith Family Donation bins will soon be removed from the Coles Supermarket car park.

The Smith Family made the following announcement on their website:

“Effective January 2020, The Smith Family no longer operates in clothing recycling and is no longer able to accept clothing donations. We still highly encourage clothing recycling and there are a number of clothing bins that are run by other charity organisation.”

The Smith Family is currently in the process of removing the bins from each suburb.  At the moment the bins are still there.

THE BOWER Reuse & Repair Centre (Marrickville, New South Wales)

The Bower is an environmental not-for-profit committed to reducing landfill.

Their range of services and programs are all based on the ethos of reuse and repair – this is the principle that guides everything they do.

The Bower has agreements with over 20 Sydney metropolitan councils to collect unwanted household goods and rehome them including Lane Cove Council.

Acceptable Donations List

Below is listed all the types of items the Bower accepts as donations.

Items they Cannot Accept

Unfortunately, there are a few categories of items the Bower cannot accept, due to their construction, reusability, or safety requirements.

Book a Collection Link Here

Like so many other organisations, the Bower is dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic to the best of their abilities. They have recently had to cut down precious truck hours in order to save manpower, and they are operating on a skeleton crew at their Marrickville store.  Their store in Parramatta is closed until further notice.

They are still accepting donations, both in-store and for collection. Due to the reduced amount of both staff and volunteers and the increased volume of donations, processing times for collections can stretch up to 2 weeks. In case you can’t wait that long, you can consult their REUSE DATABASE for an alternative solution.

Clothing Clean Up

This is a commercial enterprise that will pick up clothing from your door.  Details here. From 1st May 2020, they have suspended their services.

Dress for Success

What would you wear to a job interview? That is exactly the type of clothing Dress for Success is looking for to distribute to their clients. Your fabulous suits and other professional apparel could furnish another woman with the confidence to enter or return to the workplace, make a great first impression and land a job that could change her life. You can find out more here.

The following statement was recently posted on their Facebook page:

“Today, we are reaching out to you, our community, for help. Like many small organisations, Dress for Success Sydney is struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While our income has slowed down to almost zero, sadly our expenses have not.

Our services are more vital and desperately needed than ever before. Over the coming months, many more women in NSW will urgently need our support to overcome barriers to employment. Employment gives financial independence not only to the women themselves, but their families too.

The Uplift Project

In the developing world, a bra is often unavailable or unaffordable. Used and new bras are sent worldwide. Drop off and postal details are here.  Uplift is not taken donations during COVID 19.

Items (other than Clothing)

There are options to recycle many items that are currently dumped outside Charity Shops or Clothing Bins.  The Community Recycling Centre at Artarmon is still open and is the place to drop off your hard to recycle goods and E Waste.  More information here.

Check out our A to Z of Recycling list and see where you can recycle those hard to get rid of items.  

The Generous and the Grateful

The Generous and the Grateful’s  West Ryde warehouse is open Wednesday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm; Thursday 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm; Saturday 10:am – 12:00pm. to accept contactless donations. They need fridges, washing machines, beds, tallboys, televisions and TV units.