The city of Penrith is found in the western part of Sydney metropolitan area and is home to 215,356 residents of various backgrounds. The Penrith City Council has an ongoing multi-stage waste behaviour change campaign for its communities. It aims to reduce waste as much as possible by teaching individuals how to dispose of and manage waste. This article features how different household items can be disposed of and collected through proper waste management.

1. Book Bulky Waste Collection

Bulky waste includes household items that are too big or too heavy to carry and are placed inside bins. Residents are entitled to four accessible collections of Penrith waste annually. These collections allow as many cubic metres in size, which is about as much capacity as regular box trailers.

Residents must first find an appropriate location to house unwanted items. They must also sort out the ones still in good condition, which they can donate to charity or sell in a used item community network.

To book a bulky waste collection, they can contact a designated council-owned facility or service for waste collection. The items will then be gathered at the kerbside (council kerbside recycling services provided by the local council).

The items categorised as bulky waste are as follows:

• Table
• Couches
• Desks
• Mattresses
• Drawers
• Rolled carpet(up to one metre in length)
• Bed frames
• Rugs
• Chairs
• Cabinets
• Other similar items

Remember that you can only throw away up to four bulky mattresses per waste collection. Mattresses are kept separate because they are collected by a different truck.

2. Drop Off Unacceptable Waste At A Recycling Centre

Some types of waste are left outside for regular collection days. Some can even damage the environment, which is why Penrith City has its own community recycling centre where you can leave specific types of waste.

Sort out your household waste and separate the following:

• Car parts or waste: tyres, engine, motor oil
• Building or industrial waste: tiles, bricks, vanities, plasterboard, concrete
• Dangerous waste: chemicals, gas bottles, asbestos, paint
• Large glass: fish tanks, mirrors, windows
• Large garden waste

3. Sort Wastes For Kerbside Recycling Services

Kerbside is another word for curbside. The term was adapted to double the recycling efforts and lessen the amount of Penrith waste ending up in landfills. For residents to keep having access to the Kerbside Recycling Services, which collects specifically categorised wastes, they will need to correctly group materials accepted by the service. The services provide colour-coded waste collection bins dedicated to particular wastes.

Here are the following categories, colour-coded bins, and the materials that fall under them:

• Co-mingled Recycling
  • Bin colour: yellow
  • Size: 240 L
  • Collection schedule: fortnightly
  • Materials: glass bottles and jars, old magazines, aluminum cans, office paper, aluminum foil, envelopes with and without windows, newspapers, phone books, steel food and paint cans (empty and cleaned), pizza boxes, egg cartons, cardboard, aerosol aluminum cans, long-life and fresh milk cartons (with and without foil lining), juice cartons (fresh and long-life; with and without foil lining), aluminum pie trays
  • Plastics with recycling marks from 1 to 7
• General Waste
  • Bin colour: red
  • Size: 120 L
  • Collection schedule: fortnightly
  • Materials: plastic bags, plastic wrappers and packets, disposable nappies, plastic film and wrap (cling wrap, glad wrap, and cellophane), polystyrene foam, cigarette butts, personal hygiene waste, broken crockery, clothing and fabric, broken toys, and small items
• Food Organics and Garden Organics
  • Bin colour: lime Green
  • Size: 240 L
  • Collection schedule: weekly
  • Materials: grass clippings, weeds, all food scraps (including meat), small branches, flowers, paper and cardboard, twigs, fruit scraps, untreated timber, garden pruning, vegetable scraps, small timber offcuts

Remember to take off the lids and rinse the containers before placing them inside their respective colour-coded bins. Contact Penrith Council in case you need a replacement bin.

4. Follow Kerbside Pick-Up Conditions

Penrith City collection services have a few restrictions and conditions that residents should follow to benefit from the free junk removal. If they fail to follow these directives, the waste collection staff have the right to refuse unwanted junk and, in cases, enforce a fine when illegal rubbish dumping has been proven.

• Ensure that Penrith City Council accepts the items you sort out and place in kerbside bins.
• Avoid exceeding the maximum volume of two cubic metres.
• You must not leave your waste any earlier than the day before the collection day.
• The garbage you leave must be neatly piled and is not obstructing pathways.
• White goods must not have doors attached.
• Small or broken waste must be placed inside containers, such as bags or boxes.

Conclusion

Penrith Council’s collection service becomes successful when residents are willing to follow these directives. It takes effort to reduce waste that can heavily impact the environment. The benefits are free, and residents can enjoy these services as long as they never forget to sort solid waste and place them in designated bins properly.