RECYCLING REVOLUTION: DIRECT COLLECT COME TO YOU WITH ISUZU

A good idea is a good idea in any economic climate—but after a year of rising inflation and cost increases, an idea that generates a bit of cash is also a great one. 

Launched last year in Adelaide, recycling initiative Direct Collect have created a bottle, can and container recycling service direct to home and businesses that has everyone wondering why they didn’t think of it first.  

Direct Collect’s service sees you provided with a sleek new dedicated blue bin for 10-cent refundable bottles, cans and containers. South Australia has been running a ‘'polluter pays’ scheme for decades which states that once you discard a recyclable container, you forfeit any right to the refund.  

In this case, Direct Collect will take stewardship of these containers and pass the rewards to you. This has led to Direct Collects slogan ‘stop throwing money away'. Once the bin is filled up, you simply notify them with an app, and Direct Collect retrieve the bin using one of their specially engineered Isuzu NPR 65/45-190 trucks, then taking it to a bottle recycling centre where the contents are counted. 

You have the option of having proceeds placed directly into your account or donated to one of the many worthwhile charities that they have partnered with, including OzHarvest, FoodBank and the Sammy D Foundation.

THE NEW GENERATION

This new initiative came about when Justin Castelluzzo, Manager and Co-Founder of Direct Collect, and his business partners joined forces.  

Justin currently heads up a number of bottle recycling yards around South Australia and describes himself and his co-founders as ‘second-generation bottle people’. 

“We thought, why go to a bottle yard and queue up when someone could come to you?” said Justin of the idea that sparked the business.  

“Whenever you fill the bins up, you let us know on the app and we simply collect the bin, leave you a fresh one and within a few days, the money goes either straight to your account or straight to your charity or organisation of choice,” he continued. 

“All the groups are listed visibly on the website, so it’s easy to find one that resonates with you”. 

By all accounts, the app is fairly intuitive, making the process accessible and the record of previous collections easy to track from a mobile device.  

FLEET SUPPORT

When getting started, Justin was already clued into the type of trucks that could work as hard as his team would need to in this specialised service for South Australia’s recycling industry.  

Drawing on an existing relationship with the team at North East Isuzu, Justin and his business partners put in an order for four Isuzu NPR 65/45-190 trucks. Isuzu Australia and their dealer network have always had a strong focus and a driving emphasis on customer care that people know they can rely on.  

“I called up Tony Emanuele at North East Isuzu, had a chat over the phone and it was that easy to buy the trucks,” explained Justin. 

“We knew they could do it because North East Isuzu have purpose built a few trucks for the bottle yards in the past, so they know what the industry requires.  

“We bought the cab chassis and then the engineers custom built the trailer and trays with tailgate lifters and side cages. We’re really happy with them,” he continued. 

“We have four identical trucks, they’re fantastic…they’re easy to use, they look great and we haven’t had any problems with them.” 

The NPR trucks combine efficiency, versatility and most importantly for a business that needs to get into any nook and cranny to collect their bins, manoeuvrability.   

The new NPR range also includes Isuzu’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)—now standard across many models in Isuzu’s light-and medium-duty range—giving Justin peace of mind that his investment and team will remain safe while they’re hard at work.  

With a genuine towing capacity of 4,500 kilograms and a Gross Combined Mass (GCM) of up to 10,000 Kilograms, each truck is in no danger of driving overweight and can more than handle an enormous payload. Justin, like many other business owners, has found that this has meant that the trucks can stay out longer, making fewer trips back to the recycling centre and creating a more efficient business overall.   

An increased eye towards delivering on customer needs has recently seen Isuzu revisit its renowned Care program. The Isuzu Care team describe themselves as dealing in ‘everything but the truck’' with a goal to ensure each and every need is dealt with quickly, efficiently and to the standard that Isuzu customers have come to expect.  

GIVING BACK

When asked about the charity aspect of the company, it’s clear that Justin is proud of the company’s stance on giving back to the community.  

“We always knew we wanted to give back,” he said.   

“We have about ten major charities on board as well as sports clubs and some local community organisations.  

“We’re still a new business though so there’s still plenty of time to add more to the list!”  

It’s encouraging to see a company like Direct Collect evolving from an established business model such as traditional bottle recycling.  

The recycling industry’s ability to adapt and provide effective, real-time solutions to consumers—driven by modern technology in the app—is crucial for a world where rubbish processing is at tipping point.  

In the case of Direct Collect, it’s also proving that in a cost-of-living crisis, a service that can earn customers passive income is sure-fire path to satisfaction—on both ends.