In Australia, you generally cannot recycle soft plastics, polystyrene, ceramics, Pyrex, broken glass, takeaway coffee cups, nappies, batteries, electronics, light globes, shredded paper, food waste, textiles, and syringes in your standard kerbside recycling bin (yellow lid) as they contaminate loads or jam machinery, requiring specific drop-offs or general waste disposal, with rules varying slightly by council, say sources from the City of Melbourne, City of Sydney, Anything Environmental, NetWaste, The Territory Can Man, City Services ACT, Wrightway Products, Cheapa Skips, The Sydney Morning Herald, Wingecarribee Shire Council, Yarra City Council, Brisbane City Council, Lucent Globe, Envirobank Recycling, and Method Recycling.
What Can and Can't be Recycled
Non-recyclable items typically include soft plastics (bags, film, chip packets), food-soiled paper/cardboard (greasy pizza boxes, used napkins), Styrofoam, batteries, ceramics, light bulbs, takeaway coffee cups, plastic toys, and medical waste, as they contaminate recycling streams or require special disposal, so they should go in general waste or specific drop-off points.
Non-recyclable items typically include soft plastics (bags, film, chip packets), food-soiled paper/cardboard (greasy pizza boxes, used napkins), Styrofoam, batteries, ceramics, light bulbs, takeaway coffee cups, plastic toys, and medical waste, as they contaminate recycling streams or require special disposal, so they should go in general waste or specific drop-off points.
Where can I recycle my plastic bags? Singlet-style supermarket plastic bags can be returned to your supermarket for recycling. Most larger supermarkets have recycling facilities available. If you can't find the recycling bin at your supermarket, suggest to the store manager that it's put in a more prominent place.
Considering most cardboard egg cartons are accepted by local councils, you could place them in the designated paper and cardboard recycling bin provided to you by the local council.
Sweden is the country famous for achieving an extraordinary waste management success, recycling or converting nearly 99% of its household waste into energy, meaning less than 1% goes to landfills, leading them to even import trash from other nations like the UK and Norway to keep their energy plants running. This remarkable feat stems from strong policies, advanced waste-to-energy (WtE) technology, and public participation in sorting waste into recyclables and fuel.
Ziploc® Paper Bags are recyclable through standard municipal recycling collection (i.e., blue bin). Look for the How2Recycle® label on your Ziploc® packaging for more details.
Surprising items you shouldn't put in your curbside recycling include plastic bags, shredded paper, Styrofoam, greasy pizza boxes, coffee cups with plastic lining, batteries, clothes hangers, and ceramics/Pyrex, as they contaminate batches or jam machinery. Soft plastics, soiled paper, and small items like bottle caps are also common culprits that belong in the trash or special drop-offs, not the regular bin.
Now, toothpaste tubes are made from the same material as milk bottles using high-density polyethylene. This means all tubes, sold nationwide, are now technically 100% recyclable and can be recycled into a range of new items, from garden furniture and plastic piping to bleach bottles.
Recycling Tupperware poses challenges, such as: Mixed Materials: Items combining different plastics can complicate recycling. Food Residue: Leftovers or detergents might contaminate the recycling stream. Aging and Wear: Over time, some Tupperware items might not be recyclable due to wear or structural changes.
Non-Biodegradable Examples: Plastic bags, bottles, Styrofoam, glass, metal cans, rubber tires, certain plastics, electronic waste (e-waste), and many synthetic fabrics. The '3 R's'—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—represent a hierarchy of waste management strategies.
Here are some things that fall into the category of hard to recycle items.
The RAWR Act provides a framework for managing Australia's recycling and waste reduction objectives. A key objective of the Act is to encourage the development of a circular economy, including through product stewardship. The Act provides for 3 levels of product stewardship: voluntary, co-regulatory and mandatory.
Non-recyclable items typically include soft plastics (bags, film, chip packets), food-soiled paper/cardboard (greasy pizza boxes, used napkins), Styrofoam, batteries, ceramics, light bulbs, takeaway coffee cups, plastic toys, and medical waste, as they contaminate recycling streams or require special disposal, so they should go in general waste or specific drop-off points.
Coca‑Cola 20oz bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding cap and label) nationwide.
Many everyday items, such as single-use coffee cups, styrofoam, bubble wrap, and plastic bags, are not recyclable. These materials can contaminate entire batches of recyclables and damage processing equipment at recycling facilities.
Normally, plastic items can take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills.
Recycling bins, bags or boxes
In your recycling bin or bags, you can put: plastic – including bottles, pots, tubs, cartons and carrier bags (empty and untied) paper – including newspapers, magazines and letters. cardboard – including cereal and egg boxes.
Thin plastic like bubble wrap is made from low-quality plastic which cannot be recycled at home. If you have space, the best thing you can do with bubble wrap is hold onto it and reuse it another time. Alternatively, it can go in the rubbish bin, or you can take it to a recycling collection point.
Unlike other film plastic bags, frozen food bags contain an extra layer to keep the food fresh. These are not recyclable and go to landfill.
Non-recyclable bags and film, including snack wrappers, cellophane, coffee bags, and prepared food pouches should be disposed of in the trash.
Germany doesn't mess around. With over 65% of its waste recycled, it's the undisputed leader. Germany has a no-nonsense government policy when it comes to recycling, and tough laws make separating waste non-negotiable.
Specifically in Australia, Veolia has invested heavily in an advanced high temperature incineration facility to meet the country's increasing demand for efficient disposal of hazardous streams such as medical and quarantine waste.
Austria, Wales and Taiwan leading the world when it comes to rates of recycling. A new study shows who are amongst the world's best recyclers and why. Austria has been revealed as the world's best country for recycling in a new study by Reloop and Eunomia Research and Consulting.