At the end of an agreed 12-month trial period with RecycleSmart, Lane Cove Council went out to the market to assess offers from service providers in the doorstep recycling industry.
After reviewing the doorstep recycling proposals, Lane Cove Council selected HomeCycle as the preferred supplier for the Council-funded doorstep recycling service. Lane Cove Council are of the view that HomeCycle is able to provide quality services with greater cost efficiency for the long-term sustainability of the service.
From Friday, 1 March 2024, HomeCycle will replace the service Council provided through RecycleSmart.
Lane Cove Council noted on their website:
“Just like our previous service, HomeCycle offers a free and easy way for Lane Cove residents to recycle and repurpose items that don’t belong in household bins. With HomeCycle, you can easily book a free collection of unlimited bags containing tricky-to-recycle items once every month, subject to availability.
By booking in for a minimum of three bags per collection, you’ll be helping to streamline our collection process and contribute further to our environmental sustainability efforts. More bags per collection means reduced transportation and a lower overall carbon footprint.
You will be able to book in a HomeCycle collection from Friday 1 March.
Thank you for your cooperation as we transition to this new and improved recycling service following our initial trial with RecycleSmart. Together, we will continue to make a positive impact on our environment.”
How Often Will Homecycle Pick Up?
Each household is entitled to one pick-up per month, and the service is free.
How Does Homecycle’s Service Differ?
You must have at least three bags of acceptable items before you can book a pickup.
However, you can have as many bags as you like per pickup without any charges – you are being requested to separate your waste into different shopping size bags (i.e. the size of the paper bags used by local supermarkets).
What Do They Accept?
They accept nearly all the items that RecycleSmart used to pick up – see the image below.
However, they will not be picking up:
- Blister Packs and Webster Packs
- Used Disposable Coffee Cups
- Soft Toys
- Polystyrene
- Books, and CDs/DVDs in good condition
- Backpacks
- Bread Bag Plastic Tabs
- Empty cosmetics and skincare or haircare packaging
Who is HomeCycle?
HomeCycle is part of the SCRgroup. They provide the doorstep pick-up service to one NSW council – The City of Sydney, and in March 2024, will onboard Lane Cove Council and Canada Bay residents.
They describe their company as follows:
“We offer solutions for local government, national and local shopping centres, schools, private organisations, charities and retailers.
SCRgroup is Australia’s largest and most innovative company for the recovery of Australia’s unwanted clothing. Each year, we divert over 30 million kilograms of clothing from landfill and instead find new homes for them, giving them a second life in local and global communities where they are needed most.
Our business model is based on maximising social and environmental impact. We work with Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) and social enterprises to provide employment opportunities for people living with disabilities and youth at risk. We also support and work with Australian charities such as The Smith Family, Lifeline and Save The Children, often buying back items of clothing that haven’t sold in their stores. This provides a vital and sustainable income towards their important social causes and reduces costs. Through our clothing collection programs and monetary donations, we contribute over $1.99 million to Australian charities annually.
94% of what we collect from the 1,500 clothing drop-off hubs visited by over 2 million Australians around the country, is diverted from landfill. What can’t be reused, is either turned into rags or converted into an alternate fuel called biofuel. SCRgroup is also investing in fibre to fibre recycling options and collaborations through their global partnerships to offer to their clients and to contribute to an evolving circular economy in Australia.”
FAQ’s
The Lane Cove Council has put together a list of FAQ’s here.
RecycleSmart
RecycleSmart has sent an email out to their Lane Cove customers and advised that you can still use their services, but you will need to pay for your pickups.
It will be interesting to see how this works and if it is more efficient than the existing system.
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