Moving house involves numerous stages of preparation, which can often be stressful. One of these stages is realising you have many unwanted items that need to be removed.
But wait! Before you load up your trailer and head to the dump, consider whether some of these items can be rehomed or disposed of sustainably.
Almost all unwanted items in your home, even those that are broken or no longer usable in their original form, can find a new purpose. Read on to find out how to get rid of your unwanted household items in New Zealand.
If you’re preparing for a home move, one of the best steps is to go through each room and create an inventory of items to be sold, donated, recycled, or thrown away.
This process will save you time when listing items for sale and help you avoid multiple trips to the dump or second-hand stores.
If you have unwanted clothing, you can always sell good quality clothing directly on online platforms like:
If you don’t have time to consider selling clothing yourself, check out the local consignment stores in your area. These stores will usually buy clothing from you at a discounted rate and sell it for slightly more to make a profit. Good places for finding these stores in New Zealand are:
Karangahape Road (K Road), Auckland
Cuba Street, Wellington
Ferry Road, Christchurch
Devon Street East, New Plymouth
Dominion Road, Auckland
Manchester Street, Christchurch
Ponsonby Road, Auckland
Riccarton Road, Christchurch
George Street, Dunedin
Taranaki Street, Wellington
You can also give quality used clothes away to second-hand stores throughout New Zealand, like:
SPCA op shops
If you have textiles that aren’t good enough to sell or donate, consider dropping off towels, blankets, and other textiles at pet rescue centres. Depending on the area, you can donate textiles like blankets and curtains at local recycling or tip shops.
If you can’t sell or donate your furniture in New Zealand, there are still options for getting rid of your furniture.
Search for local recycling areas near your transfer station. Many recycling centres will help you get rid of large pieces of furniture, especially if they are in good condition.
You can dispose of furniture at your local tip by hiring a trailer or transporting it in the back of your vehicle. This should only be an option if you can’t sell or give the furniture away.
Do you have a lot of items you need to get rid of? Why not hire a skip? A skip can save you time and be helpful if you have a lot of material to get rid of. A skip is an open-topped, large metal rubbish bin that is dropped off and picked up by a skip provider.
If you have materials made from recyclables, you can put these items in with your regular recycling. These include:
Glass bottles and glass jars
Tin and aluminium cans
Household plastic bottles (1, 2 and 5)
Cleaned plastic food containers (1, 2 and 5).
Newspapers, printer paper, magazines, and junk mail.
Paper, cardboard, pizza and cardboard takeaway boxes, egg cartons and envelopes
For plastic bags or soft plastics, you can collect them and take them to your nearest New World, Woolworths, Pak n Save, or The Warehouse for recycling. You can check for locations here.
E-waste is produced at a rate three times faster than general waste in New Zealand. Responsible disposal of e-waste is a must. You can recycle e-waste at Noel Leeming stores throughout New Zealand. Search for a local store here. They accept
Laptops and cables
Mobile phones
Tablets, electronic notebooks, palmtops
Computer monitors and parts
Printers, scanners and multi-functional devices
Computer Accessories
Cameras and video cameras
The best way to get rid of unwanted scrap metal is to find your local scrap metal yard. Many of these places accept old whiteware and appliances and can help you recycle whiteware.
Vape fires are responsible for many rubbish truck fires throughout New Zealand. If you vape, it’s important to know that you can’t dispose of your vape by throwing it in with your general kerbside rubbish.
You can safely dispose of vapes by:
Visiting one of VAPO’s 30+ stores around New Zealand
Mailing in your old capes by going to the VAPO website
Batteries should also be disposed of safely. You can get rid of your AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, power tool, button cell and any other small batteries that will fit into the recycle slots by:
Dropping them in the battery collection unit at the front entrance of any Bunnings
Please note the Bunnings battery programme does not accept acid batteries or car batteries
When it comes to cleaning out your home, you may have many items you aren’t sure of what to do with. You can use several networks to find a home for your unwanted materials. Try:
Scrapmetal: ZeroWaste can help you get rid of household items like scrap metal, upcycling, e-waste recycling, recycling timber, compost and food waste.
General zero waste: Community Recyclers NZ - this has links to community groups around New Zealand that are committed to working towards a zero waste society.
Asbestos: Worksafe has a list of licenced asbestos removers. If you have asbestos in your home you’ll need to dispose of it legally via a licensed removal service.
House paint: Resene helps people dispose of their household paint via their Resene Paintwise Collection Centres.
Not sure of what you can dispose of? Hire a junk removal company. There are plenty to choose from throughout New Zealand. Rubbish pickup services often charge you to get rid of certain times (just as a dump would charge you for disposal). This can be expensive but worth it if you can’t find a home for your items or need to dispose of them properly.
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