Three Bin System

• Clean paper and cardboard (newspapers, magazines, junk mail, envelopes, egg cartons, cardboard boxes - flattened).
• Juice and milk cartons.
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Aluminium/steel cans and lids.
• Aerosol cans (empty).
• Aluminium foil sheet, trays (clean and collected into at least a fist-sized ball).
• All rigid plastic containers (drink bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles, ice cream and yogurt containers, plastic plant pots)

• Do not put any plastic bags in this bin.
• Ensure containers are free of food (rinse with leftover dishwasher or scrape any food out).
• Place all items loose in the bin.
• Flatten boxes.
• Leave newspapers and cardboard unbundled and loose.
• Remove plastic wrap from newspapers and magazines.
• Pizza boxes can be recycled if not heavily stained with oil or pizza scraps. Heavily stained pizza boxes can go in the organics bin, compost bin or worm farm.

• Remove lids from jars, bottles and plastic containers before putting these in the recycling bin (yellow lid).
• Plastic lids can be recycled when placed inside a clean plastic bottle. Collect hard plastic lids and small plastic items such as bread tags in a plastic milk bottle and when full, place the container in the recycling bin.
• A steel lid can be placed inside a steel can and the top squeezed shut to prevent it from falling out.

• Videotapes, strapping, string, rope, soft plastics and chip packets can get caught in machinery, causing breakdowns at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) so please put these items into the waste bin (red lid).
•  Soft plastic such as plastic bags, bread bags, magazine and newspaper wraps, food packaging and old 'reusable' shopping bags can be taken to the supermarkets participating in the Redcycle program.

• No plastic bags, bin liners or any other soft plastic items. Recyclables in plastic bags aren't sorted. All items need to be loose in the bin so the machines can sort them properly.
• No clothes or shoes.
• No pillows, cushions, quilts or blankets.
• No polystyrene foam trays, cups or packaging.
• No nappies.
• No food or drink in containers or bottles.
• No light globes, mirrors or window glass.
• No electrical appliances or batteries.
• No ropes or hoses.
• No wooden items.

The truck which empties all the recycling bins drops off the materials at Town Container, where it is then loaded into semi-trailers and transported to the materials recovery facility.

At the materials recovery facility there is a combination of high-tech machines and manual labour to separate all the recycling. The recyclable materials from homes and businesses are sorted into different categories or 'streams' of mixed paper and cardboard, steel, aluminium, glass, and plastics.

Automated machines sort the aluminium, steel, paper and cardboard. The manual sorters on these lines remove contaminants such as plastic bags, quilts and pillows, gas bottles, carpet and other items. The remaining glass and plastic items are sorted by hand.

It is the right of the contractor to refuse collection of recycling bins that contain contaminated or unsafe materials.

• Small pruning and cuttings.
• Small branches (up to 10cm thick).
• Lawn clippings.
• Leaves.
• Weeds.
• Cut flowers.
• Pet poo (never in plastic bags).
• Shredded paper (mix the shredded paper with your garden and food waste or damp it down so it does not blow down the street when the bin is emptied).
• Paper towel and tissues.
• Pizza boxes.
• Hair.

You can also put any food waste in this bin, which includes:

• Fruit & vegetable scraps.
• Takeaway foods.
• Cooked leftovers.
• Teabags & coffee grounds.
• Seafood (cooked or raw)
• Meat and bones (cooked or raw)
• Egg shells, seafood shells and nut shells
• Bread.
• Grains & pasta.
• Cake.
• Cheese and yogurt.

The green bags available from Council for use in the kitchen caddies are made from a plant-based material which can go in the organics bin.

• No plastic bags or bin liners.
• No soil bags.
• No rubble, stones, rocks or bricks.
• No dirt, soil or sand.
• No large logs.
• No gardening tools or hoses.
• No plant pots or trays.
• No painted or treated timber.

Only compostable bags can go in the organics bin.

Your waste bin (red lid) is for general household rubbish that cannot go in the recycling or organics bins, including:

• Soft plastics (eg. plastic wrap, cling film, newspaper sleeves, plastic bags, bin liners).
• Nappies.
• Kitty litter (wrapped).
• Clothing and rags.
• Rope.
• Garden hoses.
• Broken glassware and crockery (wrapped).
• Polystyrene and foam packaging.
• Foam meat and food trays.
• Bubble wrap and plastic strapping.

Did you know you can recycle plastic bags, wrappers and packets at many local supermarkets?

This includes shopping bags, fruit and veggie bags, bread bags, biscuit and confectionery packaging, cling wrap, rice and pasta packets, plastic newspaper wrap and frozen food bags.

Gather your soft plastics in a plastic bag and drop them off in the recycle bins at participating stores (pictured).