Recyclable materials
Community donations are used but not broken, useable items.
Waste is legally defined as property you own but with no recoverable or beneficial value, i.e., a municipality and their waste contractor's responsibility, and not recyclable.

Here’s a list of commonly recyclable items in South Africa, categorised for easy reference: 
Constitutionally protected ownership.

Paper Products 
  • Newspapers
  • Magazines
  • Cardboard boxes (e.g., cereal boxes, shoe boxes)
  • Office paper (e.g., printer paper, photocopies)
  • Books (remove hardcovers)
  • Envelopes (no plastic windows)
  • Paper bags
  • Paper egg cartons
 Plastics 
  • PET bottles (e.g., water, cool drink bottles)
  • HDPE containers (e.g., milk and juice bottles, detergent containers)
  • Plastic lids and caps (sorted separately)
  • Plastic bags and wraps (clean and dry, often #2 or #4)
  • Yogurt tubs and margarine tubs (rinsed, typically #5)
  • Detergent and cleaning bottles (rinsed)
  • Shrink wrap and pallet wrap
Metals 
  • Aluminum cans (e.g., soft drink and beer cans)
  • Tin cans (e.g., canned food containers)
  • Aerosol cans (empty, not punctured)
  • Scrap metal (e.g., wires, pipes, old tools)
  • Bottle tops
Glass 
  • Beverage bottles (clear, green, and brown glass)
  • Food jars (e.g., jam, pickle jars, cleaned)
  • Wine bottles (remove corks or caps)
E-Waste 
  • Old computers, laptops, and peripherals
  • Mobile phones and chargers
  • Batteries (rechargeable / non-rechargeable)
  • Television and radios
  • Printers and ink cartridges
  • Cables and wires
Organic "Waste" 
  • Food scraps (for composting)
  • Garden waste (grass clippings, branches, leaves)