If you have ever organised a visit to the tip, you know that it can be tedious, time-consuming and physically exhausting.

You don’t normally head to a tip site with a few small, easy-to-manage garbage bags, but rather larger, bulkier items like broken furniture, old carpets or green waste that is too big for the green bins or a local council cleanup.

Whatever it is, a trip to the local rubbish tips will generally require a lot of time and money, in the form of trailer hire and landfill levy fees, which you may not have much of. Fortunately, there are plenty of other alternatives to loading everything up and taking it to the tip yourself!

What Are The Best Alternatives To Local Tips?

Negative Effects Of Relying On The Tip

Air, Water And Soil Contamination

When waste sits in tips, over time the waste can rot, degrade and deteriorate and begin to contaminate the surrounding area. This is one of the main reasons we want to minimise contributing to landfill and find innovative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste.

Negative Health Effects On Animals And Humans

The contamination and possible toxic runoff into the soil and local waterways can negatively also affect humans and animals in the area. When we dispose of waste incorrectly, like green waste in public drains, it can pollute our ecosystems.

Animals can ingest plastic, styrofoam or cigarette butts, be poisoned and die. Humans do not fare much better, with exposure to pathogens in drinking water linked to diarrhea, nausea, cramps, fever, fatigue, blood and skin infections, as well as possible gastrointestinal, respiratory and reproductive issues.

Disease-Carrying Pests

Tips are breeding grounds for disease-riddled pests like mosquitoes and rats who carry and spread many diseases such as salmonellosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and leptospirosis.

To avoid the spread of disease by animals, it makes sense to reduce landfill and minimise these dirty places they can breed in.

Climate Change

Landfill gas, in the form of methane emissions, occurs naturally as organic matter decomposes, contributing to about 11% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA.

In other words, the more landfill we produce, the more greenhouse gases we create and the more we contribute to climate change. Recycling also reduces energy consumption which lessens the need for mining materials, which is another activity that contributes to global warming.

Impacts Economy 

Recycling and reusing resources conserves our natural resources, creates jobs and strengthens our economy.

Recycling also benefits government services as it reduces expenditure on waste disposal, makes manufacturing cheaper, and generates revenue through the sale of recyclables.

What Are The Best Alternatives To A Local Tip?

There are many alternatives to taking your rubbish to a local tip. Some of the other options are obvious, while some are more creative and can even make you a little money on the side.

The most important thing is that you try to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, and minimise your impact on the environment as much as you possibly can.

Sell Items Online

Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to get rid of your unwanted objects.

There are so many different websites and avenues with which you can sell your stuff, which include eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist. Remember that your items do not have to be in perfect condition or even very valuable, as long as your price reflects their worth and you are open and transparent about everything.

As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so even if you put things up for $1 or for free, it can help you clear out some of your stuff without paying for someone to do it for you. You would be surprised what people will search for, buy or accept, so put it all up online and see what happens!

Have A Yard Sale

Yard sales might sound a little old-fashioned, but they remain a great way to get foot traffic and local customers to take your stuff away for you and make a little money also.

There are plenty of ways to conduct a successful garage sale, but some of the most important things to consider are sorting and organising your items into sections so you do not lose track and make it easy for your customers), as well as adequately planning and advertising so you have enough people coming through.

Getting the word out in your local community and getting friends and family to support your garage sale may be required to improve your reach and could be helpful in getting rid of those difficult items.

Hire A Waste Collection Removal Company

Possibly the best alternative for a trip to the tip is paying a professional to do it for you.

While this sounds like it might be expensive, remember that the average cost of trailer hire is between $55 and $100 daily, while the average cost per tonne of mixed waste in Sydney is $388, according to Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre in NSW.

These costs can really add up, especially considering that you still have to do all of the work. So, keeping that in mind, it may be a better use of your time and money to simply hire experts like removalists at 1300 Rubbish to take the reins for you. They can remove all kinds of residential waste, including:

  • Recyclable waste like paper, glass, aluminium cans
  • Biodegradable waste such as organic kitchen waste
  • Construction waste such as rocks, debris
  • Assorted waste like discarded clothing
  • Hazardous waste such as paints, fertilizers, transmission fluids

Whether you need to renovate your home or pull down a building, you can expect the property to produce unwanted debris and rubble. Most companies that offer professional demolition work tend to be very specific in their job scope, but 1300 Rubbish is equipped for any job and any waste.

Donate, Buyback And Swap Programs 

One thing that the internet has made clear is that there is a market for everything. So, just, because you don’t want your stuff anymore does not mean that someone else would not appreciate it.

You can give your furniture, clothes, appliances or any other undesired items a second home, either through charitable donations to the less fortunate through amazing foundations or businesses like the Salvos or the Red Cross, or buyback programs.

Reuse And Recycle At Waste Facilities Or Transfer Stations

It is important to know where your waste goes, and to get rid of it accordingly. But even better, it is best to reuse and recycle as much as possible.

Of course, the first step to recycling is knowing what can and cannot be recycled and how to dispose of items correctly. Luckily, New South Wales has a great return and earn incentive which guides people through the recycling process by rewarding people with points for recycling containers at their nearest return points.

Recycling aside, removing old furniture and other household waste also provides the opportunity to get incredibly creative by repurposing used household items into something new. A few examples include turning old wire baskets into light fixtures, broken terra cotta pots into garden markers, or bird baths from damaged plates.

The amazing thing about this way of thinking is that anything old around the house can be given a second life in a creative way, which is not only sustainable and cheap but fun!

Final Thoughts

There are so many reliable and efficient alternatives to tips which are all much better for the environment, our local animals, the economy and our planet. By reducing waste, recycling whatever we can and reusing or donating objects to others, we can lessen the strain on already overwhelmed landfills, reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses being produced, and ultimately play an important role in creating a better environment for future generations.