National Recycling Week
Our yellow lid bin is just the beginning for recycling
Our yellow lid recycling bin is just the beginning
This National Recycling Week, 13 - 19 November 2023, let's find out more and go beyond the yellow lid bin! Our yellow lid recycling bin is just the beginning and enables us to recycle so much around the kitchen, bathroom and laundry in your home. There are also recycling options for lots of items that cannot go into our yellow lid recycling bin. These include household batteries, mobile phones, textiles and more.
Why can't they go in the yellow lid recycling bin? Some items we use contain chemicals or metals that can start a fire in our collection trucks and other items can become tangled in the machinery used for the sorting of our recyclables after they arrive at the sorting centre. There are other ways to recycle these items so that they can be reused or made into something new and avoid landfill.
By recycling and reducing our waste, it not only keeps valuable materials out of landfill, it also benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our need for new materials.
How can I recycle items that cannot go in the yellow lid bin?
Our new My Waste Bin app has some great features to help you recycle. Find out where you can recycle household batteries, mobile phones, find your nearest Return and Earn point and more! Download the app today.
For even more items head to the A-Z of Waste, this extensive list will guide you on how to dispose of a wide range of different items. The A-Z can be accessed via the app or from our website.
Need to recycle an old mobile phone?
Choose a drop off location or find out how to order a satchel for recycling directly to your home here.
Do you have food waste and no time to compost?
Did you know you can donate your food scraps or accept someone else's? The ShareWaste App lets you do just that. If you don't have time or room to compost or worm farm, this may be the tool for you.
Cleaning up the garage and yard ?
Paints, gas bottles, chemicals, oils (including cooking oil) and pesticides, known as Household Problem wastes can be taken to our annual chemical cleanout event or other nearby recycling drop off points.
Recycling old clothes and textiles
We can donate clothes in good condition to charity for someone else to wear either by dropping off at their store or into the nearest collection bin, but what about that stuff that has seen better days? Check out some of these options.
H&M Recycling - check your nearest H&M store for a drop off point for textiles including clothes no longer suitable for wearing. The program commenced in 2013 and they now have recycling boxes in stores across the globe. It is really simple take your bag of clothes and hand them in at the register. Clothes are sorted into 3 categories - Rewear, Re-use and Recycle. Find out more about the program.
Upparel - The first of its kind in Australia. This company works with charity partners to recycle what can be re-worn. The unwearables are sorted into colours where they create new yarn, filling for mattresses, pet beds and home insulation. It's really simple, head to their website to book a collection (fee applies per weight), and then these are collected from your door once you are ready. Each collection receives a credit to redeem on the products created from your donated items.
Compost or worm farm - if you have an item that is made from natural fibres and it is no longer wearable you can use it as a blanket for your worm farm, or pop it in your compost bin and send it back to nature. Composting and worm farming is a great addition to your home to manage your organics right in your backyard.
These are just a couple of options available if you know of others let us know so we can share the information so as a community we can keep our textiles away from landfill.