Recycling bins

Do not put the following in your recycling bin:

• Bagged recyclables
• Plastic bags
• Loose soft plastics like chip packets, snack wrappers, produce bags (soft plastic in special orange collection bags is ok)
• General waste
• Polystyrene or foam
• Light globes
• Glass and ceramics
• Food waste
• Garden waste
• Clothing, shoes and textiles
• Syringes and sharps
• Electrical/e-waste
• CD/DVD

For more information, refer to our A-Z waste guide of what goes where

Residents across the shire are invited to participate in our soft plastic recycling pilot from mid-July 2024.

The pilot program is a continuation of a 12-month trial which took place in Romsey and is part of a national pilot program led by the Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia, funded by the Australian Government.

Since February 2020, glass has not accepted in your recycling bin (yellow lid).
Please continue to keep glass out of your recycling bin and place in your glass-only bin (purple lid) bin.

Separating and sorting glass from recycling is an important step in ensuring all recyclables avoid being sent to landfill and can be turned into something new.

When mixed with other materials, glass can break. Shards and small pieces of glass can become embedded in paper and cardboard and reduce the quality of these materials, making them harder to recycle or resulting in recyclables going to landfill.

Do not line this bin and do not put your recyclables in plastic bags.

The recyclables must be loose, or they will end up in landfill due to the soft plastic contaminating the recyclables or being mistaken for a bag or general waste at the recycling facility.

Your 240 litre recycling bin (yellow lid) is collected fortnightly, on the alternate week to your general waste bin (red lid).

Find out your bin collection day

We do not focus on specific recycling symbols or codes as these systems can be confusing or may not be consistent on packaging. We ask residents to follow the list of accepted items/materials on our website, waste app and other Council information materials for what can and not be recycled.

Check our A-Z guide of what goes where for a comprehensive list of specific waste items.

Triangle recycling symbol

This symbol can mean a couple of different things. It can show that a product is made from recycled content or that it is recyclable. Some items can be recycled through your kerbside recycling bin, others may need to be returned to a drop off location for specialist recycling. Always check before placing in your bin, refer to our A-Z Waste Guide for what can and can’t go in your recycling bin.

Plastic identification code

It may look like a recycling symbol but this number indicates the type of plastic the item is made from. Not all of these plastics can be recycled and some may require specialist recycling. Not all items have been marked with a code by the manufacturer, it’s always best to check the list of accepted plastic items (top of the page) or our A-Z Waste Guide before placing in your bin.

 

Australasian recycling symbol

The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) is an evidence-based system that provides consumers with easy-to-understand recycling information for packaging of participating brands. It shows what needs to be done with each piece of a package to dispose of it in the best way. However, this information may not always be up to date for each Council. It is always best to check first.

Follow these steps to ensure your bin is put out correctly: 

• Put your bin out the night before your collection day
• Leave a one metre gap between each bin and any obstructions, e.g. trees, cars, power poles
• Place bins close to the road with handles facing your property
• Ensure bins are closed
• Do not overfill bins or leave rubbish beside them (overfilled bins will not be collected) 
• Bins must not weigh more than 80 kilograms

• Bins must be returned to your property within 48 hours after a scheduled collection day

Some recycling bins across the shire may not have recycling information hot stamped on to the lids or have out-of-date information.  Over the past few years, our contractors have placed stickers on the lids of many recycling bins across the shire. This sticker is a friendly reminder that no glass is to be placed in the yellow lid recycling bin and highlights the materials that are currently accepted. 

Sticker example:

If you have not received one and would like a sticker posted to you to place on the bin yourself, call our Customer Service team on (03) 5422 0333.

Recycling collected from your household recycling bins is taken to Australian Paper Recovery (APR Kerbside), where it is processed and sent for recycling.