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Do you have waste that's too good to waste?
Donating to RGQ – Step 1
GET IN TOUCH FIRST! This is really important as we can’t take everything (see the list below) and sometimes we just don’t have room for things.
Include information about the size, number, and condition of your items. We love good quality photos too! In some cases we’ll have to organise a time to inspect the items up close.
If you have things that you would like to bring to us, you can use the button below to fill out a web form, or send an email to: dropoff@reversegarbageqld.com.au
Whilst we love it when people bring their items to us, we realise that can't always happen. Click the button below if you have items that require a visit from our truck driver.
You can also send an email to discards@reversegarbageqld.com.au, but make sure you include all of the details described above to help make the process more efficient at our end.
Truck Collections Enquiry Form
We aim to respond to donation enquiries in five business days, though sometimes it can take a little longer if we’re really busy.
Regular donations from businesses
If you’re a business or institution that generates offcuts, discards, or unwanted stock that are suitable for RGQ on a recurring basis, we can provide you with 240 litre wheelie bins (same size as the council ones) to collect your items in.
You get in touch with us when the bin is getting full, and we’ll schedule a collection to swap your full bin over for an empty one. We travel to most parts of Brisbane every month.
The service is free, and you get to reduce your waste disposal costs as well!
If a wheelie bin isn’t suitable for collecting what you have, we can usually figure out an alternative method of collection.
What happens to the materials?
We’re a REUSE centre (not a recycling centre…big difference!), so apart from a small amount of cleaning and bundling, your donated items will be reused in their existing form.
The majority of items we receive are sold at low-cost to the general public - a bit like an op-shop does. What happens to them then is completely up to the person that buys them.
Some of them are put to use in our Eco-Art Workshop Program, and some get re-donated to not-for-profit and community groups through our sponsorship program.
If we're not able to sell them, we'll do our best to find a recycler for them, and the last option might be to send them to landfill, but we try really hard to avoid that.
Who benefits from this process?
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You do! Your waste management costs are reduced and you get to feel good about being more responsible with your unwanted items.
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The environment does, because it reduces the volume of materials going to landfill and the demand for natural resources to make new things - that's a double win for the environment!
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The community does! We provide affordable materials for schools, community groups and individuals to get creative while helping the planet. We also promote and support the arts through our gift shop, exhibitions and providing low-cost materials to students and artists.
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We do! RGQ is almost entirely self-funded and the sale of materials keeps us alive. We employ over ten people and we're an example of a a socially and environmentally sustainable business that can balance the books too.
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Friends of the Earth does! RGQ supports the work of FOE Brisbane through in-kind donation materials and provision of low-cost office space here at our Woolloongabba warehouse.
Stuff we can Take - but always check with us
Everything donated must be clean, safe and suitable for reuse. Here is a list of some of the things we take:
Plastics
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Acrylic off-cuts and panels
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Sign making sheet goods
Bottle tops – clean and dry -
Core-flute – posters and commercial off-cuts
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Film reels
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Netting and shade materials
Bill board banners -
Vinyl records
Metals
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Metal (punch-outs, brackets, wire, sheets)
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Tools
Paper, Card & Stationery
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Books - in good condition (no instruction manuals, text books, photocopies or print-outs)
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Cardboard boxes - flat packed in excellent condition
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Promotional and cardboard (leftovers, off-cuts, cut-outs, wallpaper, fancy papers)
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Stationery – good condition items only
Timber
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Corks
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Doors and timber woods (when space is available)
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Timber and plywood (de-nailed, untreated, including structural timber, flooring, spools and frames)
Small electrical items
Fabric & Textiles
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Fabric and textiles (rolls, swatches and samples) min 30cm square pieces
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Haberdashery (zips, buttons, thread, belts, clips, braid, ribbon, padding)
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Leather and sheepskin (rolls, skins, off-cuts)
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Rope, cord and twine
Rubber & Foam
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Foam core off-cuts
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Gasket and washer cut-outs
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Plastics and foam (perspex, acetate, polypropylene, vinyl, medium to high density polystyrene (not domestic packaging), upholstery foam, latex foam, foam rubber, neoprene, billboard skins, closed cell foam, blocks, cut-outs, stencils)
Household Items
Other
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Artists' materials and equipment
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Containers (plastic, glass, cardboard and metal containers and drums, boxes, bottles, pots). No food or drink containers
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Film and theatre props and costumes (theatre props, costumes, set pieces, wigs, costume jewellery)
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Film and theatre set materials (small flats, treads, staging pieces, plinths, lighting gels, lights, stage curtains in good condition) - large pieces only when we have available space
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Merchandising (mannequins, body shells, props, display items)
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Spools and reels - (timber, plastic, metal, large and small)
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Tubing (plastic, cardboard, rubber)
Is there anything RGQ doesn't take?
Unfortunately there are a number of things we cannot take including those items listed on the Department of Environment and Science regulated waste list as well as the following:
Plastics
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Disc boxes
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Homemade cassette and videotapes
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Used plastic and paper shopping bags
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Containers that have contained chemicals
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Single-use plastic straws & stirrers
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Single-use plastic cutlery
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Single-use plastic bowls & plates
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Expanded polystyrene takeaway food containers & cups
If we can't reuse your plastics we recommend visiting Planet Ark to see what can be recycled
Find out more on the Queensland State Government's ban on single-use plastics
Find out more on the Queensland State Government's ban on single-use plastics
Metals
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Aluminium windows
Paper, Card & Stationery
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Ring binders and suspension files
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Used cardboard boxes (such as fruit boxes)
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Gossip, trashy or sleazy magazines
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Used greeting cards
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Old office stationery (such as pamphlets, leaflets, fact sheets and letterheads)
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Shredded paper
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Toilet roll centres and other domestic packaging including used xmas paper and used paper bags
Timber
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Fibro
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MDF and chipboard
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Treated timber (unless treated with boron gas)
Did you know you can donate some of your building material waste to the Demolition Yard?
Electrical
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Photocopiers and fax machines
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Large household electrical appliances (such as stoves and microwaves, fridges, clothes dryers and washing machines)
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Small household electrical appliances (such as toasters, irons, coffee makers and hair dryers)
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Stereos and cassette tape players (unless vintage)
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Answering machines, TVs, VHS and DVD players
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Old light fittings (unless vintage or arty)
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Incandescent light bulbs
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Electrical goods (such as computers, printers, monitors and scanners)
Did you know you can donate your electrical waste to Substation 33?
Fabric & Textiles
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Used hats, bags, clothing and footwear
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Used sheets, Doona covers, towels and pillows
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Small unusable fabric scraps or fabric that is mouldy or smelling of moth balls (naphthalene)
Rubber & Foam
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Stuffed toys (unless donated new)
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Polystyrene packaging (the moulded shapes that fit around items)
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Packing peanuts made from organic material
Household Items
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Kitchenware (such as crockery, saucepans and plastic containers)
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Beds and mattresses
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Large items of furniture (such as lounge suites)
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Broken or damaged furniture (unless very vintage and repairable)
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Misc household cables and electrical fittings
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Misc household bric a brac and junk (mobile phones, used toys, gizmos etc)
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Bicycles
Did you know you can donate your larger household items to The Salvos?
Other
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Pianos
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Large office desks
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Paint, varnish etc that has been opened (or is past its use by date)
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Venetian blinds (unless wooden), second-hand curtains and holland blinds
Where to donate what we can't take?
E-WASTE
Substation33
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31 Mary Street, Kingston, Q., 4114
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Phone - 07 3826 1533
Computer Guys
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Email first. Pick-ups Only.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene Recycle Queensland
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105 Colebard Street West, Acacia Ridge, Q., 4110
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Phone - 07 3216 7764
Furniture Collection
Lifeline
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Brisbane - 07 3632 1010
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Gold Coast - 07 5510 4500
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Sunshine Coast - 07 5409 1400
Vinnies (1 to 2 week waiting list)
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Greater Brisbane Metropolitan Area
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1300 551 894
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Mon to Fri | 8:30am to 4pm
Freecycle
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Register on-line to give your goods away
Retail/Business/Office Stock
Circonomy
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Email info@circonomy.com.au
Tip Shops
Brisbane City Council Resource Recovery Centres
| 1372 Nudgee Road, Nudgee Beach | 6:30am to 5:45pm |
| 360 Sherbrooke Road, Willawong | 6:30am to 5:45pm |
| 101 Upper Kedron Road, Ferny Grove | 6:30am to 5:45pm |
| 728 Tilley Road, Chandler (opposite the Sleeman Sports Complex) | 6:30am to 5:45pm |
Full list of what can be recycled at the centres can be found here.
Logan Recycle Market
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Browns Plains Waste and Recycling Facility, 349 Browns Plains Road, Heritage Park
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Phone - 07 3412 3412
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Fri to Mon 10am - 5pm (closed public holidays)
How to prepare for Qld's ban on single-use plastics
From the 1st of September, some single use plastics will be banned from Queensland. Banned items include:
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Single-use plastic straws & stirrers
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Single-use plastic cutlery
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Single-use plastic bowls & plates
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Expanded polystyrene takeaway food containers & cups
If you are a business or community group who currently carries these items in your stock please visit the State Government's Plastic Ban site for the most up-to-date and correct information on how to go about disposing of these items.