Recycling bins

What goes into your recycling bin?

Rule number 1: Always remember to empty your recycling into the recycling (yellow lidded) bin loose. Plastic bags and soft plastics cannot go in the recycling bin. 

Watch this quick video from Cleanaway to find out more, or download our free app for a full A-Z search guide of what can and can't be recycled.

Clean steel and aluminium packaging such as tins, cans and foil Empty plastic containers (numbers 1, 2 and 5)  Newspapers, magazines, junk mail and envelopes Clean paper and cardboard Clean pizza boxes with no food scraps Empty glass jars and bottles	Bagged recycling  Plastic bags and soft plastic film like cling wrap Mixed material coated beverage cartons (UHT or juice cartons) Broken glassware or ceramics Clothes shoes & other textiles Garden waste Food scraps Disposable plastic dinnerware (plats, bowls, cutlery) Single use coffee cups Batteries and electronics (e-waste) Refer to the A-Z Guide for a full list

What about small items?

Plastic lids: For plastic bottle lids, the best approach is to try to compress the air out of the bottle before reattaching these back on to the bottle body firmly. This will ensure the lids will not get lost in the recycling machinery.

Metal lids: Metal bottle caps and lids can be made of either steel or aluminium. The best way to recycle these lids is to keep a collection of them until you have enough to place them inside another steel or aluminium container or tin, then place this into your recycling bin. 

Aluminium foil: Small amounts of foil are easily lost in the machinery. To ensure your aluminium foil is recycled ensure it is clean of food then save enough until you have a fist sized ball. Then you can place it in the recycling bin.

Bread tags: Cardboard bread tags can be recycled when they are placed in a paper container, like envelope, and placed in the bin together. Individual bread tags will not get picked up through the recycling process. Plastic bread tags should go in a general rubbish bin.   

What happens to your recycling once it's collected?

The items from your recycling bin are sorted at the Cleanaway Recycling Materials Recovery Facility in Laverton. All recycling is screened for contamination, separated, recycled and diverted from landfill. Find out more via the link below. 

Waste reduction programs

Visit our waste reduction programs page via the link below to discover some of the ways you can reduce your waste with very little effort.