Recycling Frequently Asked Questions
Why is recycling so important?
Why can I place only certain things in my recycling bin?
Can I place plastic bags in my recycling bin?
Can pizza boxes be recycled?
Which plastics can I recycle?
What about plastic trays?
Can I recycle plastic plant pots?
What do I do with the lids on bottles and jars?
Do I have to take the labels off?
What about staples and window faced envelopes?
Can I recycle phone books?
Can I recycle waxed boxes and cups?
Why can't paper towel be recycled?
What types of glass can I recycle?
What types of cans can I recycle?
Can I recycle Paint tins?
What other types of metals can I recycle?
How do I recycle clothing, shoes, toys and textiles?
Can shredded paper be placed in the recycling bin?
Where should I take small electronic items like radios, hairdryers and other appliances?
Why is recycling so important?
There are many reasons why recycling makes sense for the environment, the economy and society. It reduces the depletion of natural resources, saves on energy use and is less expensive than using new materials.
Why can I place only certain things in my recycling bin?
When thinking about what can and can't be recycled at home, it is best to know what happens to your recycling after it is collected from your kerb.
Recycling collection trucks transport your household recycling from your kerbside to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in your region, where the materials are sorted into different types, to be sent out to special processing facilities that recycle each type of materials (such as aluminium, steel, glass, paper and cardboard, different plastics etc).
The most important thing to remember is that all the household recyclables that are collected by the collection trucks are initially sorted by hand and then later sorted mechanically. This is the reason why any materials that are not safe to be handled, could spread disease or create a putrid smell should never be placed in a recycling bin. Unsafe materials include needles and sharp objects, nappies, medical wastes or anything that still contains food or leftovers including unwashed tins containing pet food, unwashed bottles containing sauce or milk products etc. These unsafe materials can not be handled by staff and must be sent to landfill as garbage.
Can I place Plastic Bags in my recycling bin?
Used empty plastic bags can only be recycled through special plastic bag collection facilities in supermarkets, and can not be collected as part of household kerbside recycling collections as they get caught on the conveyor belts causing damage to machinery at the materials recycling facilities.
Recyclables (such as bottles and jars) tied in plastic bags in recycling bins can not be recycled due to safety risks in sorting. Sorting staff don't have the time to open all the bags and it is unsafe for them to do so due to the risk of injury from sharp or dangerous objects inside the bag. The whole bag containing the recyclables must be sent to landfill as garbage. For this reason, recycling should always be placed loose in your recycling bin, never tied in a plastic bag.
Can pizza boxes be recycled?
Yes, in general empty and clean pizza boxes should be recycled. However sometimes they are heavily contaminated with grease and food. The grease and food waste doesn't dissolve in the paper recycling process and creates a contaminant in the recycled paper, reducing its quality. If the bottom of the pizza box is very greasy then tear off the top and place the bottom in the garbage (or compost) and the top in the recycling bin. No one wants to see a piece of salami in their next cardboard box...so make sure its empty before recycling pizza boxes.
Which plastics can I recycle?
Only plastic bottles, rigid containers and tubs can be collected in your recycling bin. This is because although many different types of plastic are recyclable in theory, the Australian plastics recycling market is limited by our small population.
The numbered triangle symbol seen on the bottom of some plastic packaging can be confusing because it indicates the type of plastic that the product is made from but it doesn't always mean that it is recyclable. For example polystyrene foam has a code 6 on it but there is currently no market for these foams in Australia. Many plastic bags have a code 2 or 4 on them however they are not recyclable in the yellow-lid bin. Some containers, tubs and bottles don't have a symbol on them but they are recyclable. Some long-life reusable food storage containers have a recycling symbol or number but are not recyclable either. A general rule is if the plastic is not a packaging product, is not rigid, and is not a bottle, container or tub then it can not be recycled, even if it displays a recycling symbol or number.
Plastic bags and plastic films (such as clingwrap and wrappings around magazines, furniture etc) get caught in machinery on the recycling sorting line jamming up the conveyor belt preventing hundreds of tonnes of other recyclables from being sorted. This is very costly and damaging to the rest of the recycling process.
So remember no plastic bags, films, wraps or polystyrene.
What about plastic trays?
Foam trays should not go in the recycling bin. Meat trays (plastic or foam) should not be, because they are usually contaminated with blood products and also because many of them are foam trays or have a non-recyclable liner with them. Plastic fruit trays, strawberry punnets, biscuit trays, sushi trays and plastic clamshell packaging can be recycled.
Can I recycle plastic plant pots?
No, as they often contain residual plant matter and as the mixed plastic is sent overseas for recycling the organic material makes it illegal to transport the plastic. Additionally the sorting lines are designed for smaller containers, they are not designed for pot plant & bucket sized plastics.
What do I do with the lids on bottles and jars?
Lids should never be left on bottles and jars in the recycling bin.
Plastic lids are generally made of a different type of plastic to the container or bottle and they sometimes contain a non-recyclable rubber lining, both of which are difficult to remove after collection if left on. Plastic bottles are separated by weight. Often if the lid is left on with any liquid remaining in the bottle, the extra weight will cause the plastic bottle to be sorted into the glass sorting line and ultimately be disposed of or contaminate the glass. Additionally during the sorting process the bottles are compacted into bales. If the containers have lids on them they can't be compacted properly, or can cause danger to workers, because the air pressure inside causes the bales to burst.
Once removed, bottle lids smaller than a 50c coin are too small to be sorted and just fall through machinery so can not be recycled. They should be placed in the garbage bin. Plastic lids of bottles and jars that are larger than a 50c coin can be placed in the recycling bin loose.
Lids on glass jars are usually metal and must be removed before recycling. During the sorting process the metal is separated by magnet, but if it is attached to a glass jar the metal will not be separated and will end up contaminating the glass recycling. When removing metal lids for recycling, it is best to place them inside another metal container (such as a steel can) because the magnetic sorting process is not always strong enough to pick up small loose items such as lids.
Do I have to take the labels off?
No, most labels do not need to be removed. When the recyclables are cleaned they are generally immersed in water for an extended period of time, this process removes any labels which float to the top and are removed. However some plastic bottles have plastic labels that encase the whole bottle and these should be removed because they can not be washed off.
What about staples and window faced envelopes?
When paper and cardboard is recycled it is immersed in water and turned into a type of paper mulch or pulp. During this process any non-paper items that are heavy or very light are separated and removed. This means that small quantities of staples and the windows on envelopes do not need to be removed. Paper that is wrapped in plastic film, such as magazines straight from the mailbox, can not be recycled. Composite products such as ring binder folders, spiral bound items and hard cover books should be separated to remove any plastic or metal parts.
Can I recycle phone books?
Yes, phone books can be placed in your yellow lid recycling bin.
Can I recycle waxed boxes and cups?
Like coated paper products, waxed boxes can not be recycled because they are too heavy and cause contamination of the recycled cardboard. How can I tell if its waxed? Scratch the surface with your nail – if a waxy residue comes off it can not be recycled. Milk and juice cartons can be recycled.
Disposable paper cups can not be recycled either as they often have a non-recyclable coating and are contaminated by food or milk products.
Why can't paper towel be recycled?
Paper towels are becoming higher quality and are made out of 'wet-strength paper' they are designed not to break down in water so that they fulfil their purpose of absorbing liquid. This means that they don't easily breakdown in the paper recycling process. In addition paper towels are often used to absorb greases or body fluids and are not suitable for recycling.
What types of glass can I recycle?
Glass bottles and jars of any colour can be recycled in household recycling. Ceramics, vases, mirrors, heat-proof cooking glass, drinking glass and china can not be recycled because they heat at a different temperature to regular glass bottles and jars. This causes them to weaken recycled class and can contaminate a whole load of sorted glass, even in small amounts. Light globes, medical glass, mirrors or window panes can not be recycled because they are either too dangerous or too difficult to sort.
Sometimes when the recycling is tipped into the truck the glass is broken. Broken glass falls through the sorting trammel and is used as 'mixed glass cullet' in road base or other industrial applications. If possible residents and the collectors should try to keep glass bottles and jars whole so that they can be turned back into other glass jars and bottles.
What types of cans can I recycle?
Canned food containers are generally made from steel and are 100% recyclable, providing they are empty and rinsed clean of leftover food. Aerosol cans can be recycled if they are empty and the lid is removed.
Aluminium drink cans can also be recycled if empty.
Can I recycle Paint tins?
Paint tins are generally not recyclable because they contain leftover paint that is hazardous to workers and contaminates machinery and other recyclables. However when paint tins are finished only the completely empty dry tin can be recycled with the lid off.
What other types of metals can I recycle?
Metals other than steel or aluminium containers can usually not be recycled in household recycling. Metal cooking pots, coathangers, motor parts and other scrap metals can be dangerous, too large or contaminated by plastic fittings or other materials. Aluminium cooking foil and foil trays should generally not be recycled either because they normally are contaminated by food products and cause a safety risk to workers. Only if completely clean, aluminium foil and trays can be squashed together and recycled but if left loose are usually too light to be sorted by the magnets.
How do I recycle clothing, shoes, toys and textiles?
These should never be placed in your household recycling bin because they cause contamination in the recycling process and clothing or shoelaces can jam and damage machinery. The sorting process is not designed to recover these types of materials and they are often damaged or dirty by the time they are compacted and mixed in with recycling containers. These products should be cleaned and placed in a charity clothing bin, donated to a charity drop-off or pick-up service, sold through newspapers or online, or given away to friends or family.
Can shredded paper be placed in the recycling bin?
Shredded paper becomes like confetti in the Materials Recycling Facility The air separator and trammel are not designed to process paper particles smaller than a regular flyer. Smaller particles should be composted or placed in the rubbish bin.
Shredded paper collected from an office generally goes directly to a paper recycling facility, rather than a sorting facility. Therefore in a paper only recycling collection sometimes shredded paper is accepted.
Where should I take small electronic items like radios, hairdryers and other appliances?
If they are in good working condition they may be accepted by a charity store. Alternatively they can be placed out with clean up or in your red lid bin.
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