Waste A-Z

Use this guide to work out what to do with items once you've finished with them.

 A I B I C I D I E I F I G I H I I I J I K I L I M I N I O I P I Q I R I S I T I U I V I W I X I Y I Z 

A N
Aerosol cans  RB 
    Nappies: disposable used  WB     
Aluminium cans  RB 

    Nappies: disposable unused  FB   
Aluminium foil (scrunch into loose ball)  RB    Nappies: clean cloth  FB     
Animal waste: from rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens etc  CBW    Needles  CC   
Animal waste: dogs, cats etc  WB    Newspapers  CBW   RB   
Asbestos (must be disposed of by specialists)  SR   
O
 
B  
Office paper: unused  KS   GC     
Baby capsules (cannot be accepted at opshops for safety reasons)  HW   TS    Office stationery  GC   
Batteries: household and car. Note: household batteries (but not car batteries) can be dropped off at any Aldi or Officeworks store.  PDOS     Oils: motor  TS   SR   
Beanbags (do not put beans into recycling. Small amounts can be useful for home composting or adding to potting mixes)  RS   OS   TS   
Oils: other than motor oil. Small amounts of cooking oil may be buried  SR       
Bicycle parts  RS   SM    Ovens  TS   SR   
Bike (motorbike) parts  SM   SR    P
      
Bottles: glass, plastic  RB    Paint  KS   CG   PDOS   
Biscuit trays  RB    Paint tins: dried out paint  PDOS       
Books  KS   RS   OS   RB  Paint tins: empty  RB   
Boxes: commercial moving boxes in reusable condition  RS   RB    Pallets  SR   HW   TS   
Boxes: unwaxed cardboard  RB 
  Paper towel roll  RB     
Boxes: waxed cardboard  WB   TS    Pavers, bricks: unbroken  RS   TS   
Branches and logs (accepted in green bin up to 10cm wide and 30cm long)  WB   HW   TS    Pesticides  DYH     
Bricks, rubble  TS    Pet accessories: leads, bowls, clean toys  AW   RS   OS   
Bubble wrap  SUP   WB    Pet food tins: empty and rinsed  RB   
Building materials: reusable  RS    Pet food: wet, dry  AW       
Building materials: waste  TS    Pet dryfood bags (thick plastic)  SUP   WB   
C   Pharmaceuticals  RUM     
Cans: aluminium and steel  RB     Phonebooks  RB       
Car parts  SM   SR    Phones: mobiles  CCL     
Cardboard  RB   TS    Phones: fixed  RS   TS   
Carpet, rugs  RS   OS   TS    Picture frames  KS   RS   OS   WB 
Cartridges, ink printers (drop off at Australia Post, Officeworks, Good Guys, JB Hi Fi, Harvey Norman)  RE    Pizza boxes (scrape off food scraps)  RB   
Cassette tapes  SR   WB    Plant offcuts  CBW   GB   
CDs and cases  GG   RS   OS    Plant pots  CG   RS   RB   TS 
Cellophane (never in your recycling bin)  SUP   WB    Plasterboard  WB   TS     
Ceramics: broken  WB   TS    Plastic bags (never in your recycling bin)  SUP   WB   
Ceramics: unbroken  RS   OS    Plastic containers  RB       
Chemicals  DYH      Plastic cutlery (unrecognisable by machinery at the recycling facility)  WB   
Chemical drums (DrumMUSTER.org.au)  SR        Plastic strapping  WB     
Chip packets  SUP      Plastic wrappers (never in your recycling bin)  SUP   WB     
Cigarette butts  TC   WB    Plastics- large items: e.g. laundry basket  RS   OS   TS   
Cling wrap: food wrap, shrink wrap (never in your recycling bin)  SUP   WB    Poisons  DYH     
Clothing  RS   OS   TS   WB  Polystyrene  WB   TS   
Coat hangers: wire, plastic  RS   OS   WB    Postage stamp: new or used  GC       
Coffee Pods (collect into a plastic container as pods are too small to recycle individually)  TC   WB    Post packs, also known as mailing satchels: paper/padded, plastic  TC   WB   
Computers: recent model, working  LS   RS   SR    Punnets: berry etc.  RB     
Computers: older model, not working (free to drop off)  TS    Pyrex ovenware: broken  WB     
Concrete  TS        Pyrex ovenware: intact  RS   OS   
Corks (no longer collected by Girl Guides, MND or the zoo.  Small amounts can be useful shredded for home composting or adding to potting mixes)  CBW   WB      R
    
Cosmetic packaging e.g. foundation palette, lipstick/mascara tube  TC      Rags: clean  SE   WB   TS   
Cotton ear buds, cotton wool  WB        Rags: dirty  WB       
Crockery: broken  WB   TS    Rubber  SR   WB     
Crockery: unbroken  RS   OS    S
      
Cutlery: plastic/bamboo/corn starch  WB 
  Sauce squeeze bottles: tomatoe etc (empty)  RB     
Cutlery: metal  RS   OS    Scrap metal  SR       
Cylinders: car, trade e.g. acetylene, oxygen. Contact manufacturer for return  SR    Seedling punnets  CG   KS   RB   
D   Shoes (in good condition)  KK   RS   OS   
Detergent bottles: empty  RB    Shoes (in unwearable condition)  WB     
Doors: all types in reusable condition  RS    Smoke alarms  PDOS   WB   
Doors: damaged  TS    Spectacles  LC   
DVDs and cases  GC   RS   OS    Stoves (free to drop off)  SR   TS   
E   Styrofoam / polystyrene (never in your recycling bin)  UN   WB   TS   
Egg cartons  KS   RB    Strapping (never in your recycling bin)  WB   
Electrical & electronic items: working  RS    Straw  CBW   GB   
Electrical & electronic waste; "e-waste" (free to drop off)  TS    Straws: drinking  WB   
Envelopes: paper with or without windows  RB    Surfboard, snowboard, wakeboard  RS       
F   Syringes  CC   
Fertilisers  DYH    T    
Fibreglass sheeting, polycarbonate sheeting  RS   TS    Takeaway containers  RB     
Fire extinguishers  PDOS    Tea bags  CBW   
Fluorescent tubes/globes  PDOS    Televisions - free to drop off  TS       
Fly spray cans: empty  RB    Textiles (cloth)  KS   RS   OS   
Foam boxes (never in your recycling bin, even if the box has a code or recycling symbol)  CG   KS   TS    Tiles: roof, wall, floor: broken  TS     
Foam fruit and meat trays (never in your recycling bin, even if the tray has a code or recycling symbol)  WB    Tiles: roof, wall, floor: unbroken  RS     
Food: fresh produce in-date (ask Council for details of food charities)  FB    Timber  RS   TS   
Food waste  CBW   WB    Tissues and paper towel (never in your recycling bin)  WB   
Fridges, freezers (see also 'Whitegoods')  KK   TS   SM    Toilet paper and foodwrap inner rolls  KS   CBW   RB   
Fruit and vegetable scraps  CBW   WB    Toner cartridges: Australia Post, Officeworks, Good Guys, JB Hi Fi, Harvey Norman  RE       
Furniture  KK   RS   OS    Toothbrushes: manual and toothpaste tubes: empty  TC   WB   
G   Toys  RS   OS   
Garden waste: leaves, grass, branches  CBW   GB   TS    Tree prunings  GB   TS   
Gas bottles: BBQ cylinders up to 9kg  PDOS    Twine/string (never in your recycling bin)  WB     
Glass: broken windows (tape, wrap and label)  WB   TS    Tyres (accepted by some retailers when buying replacement tyres)  RE   TS     
Glasses: spectacles  LC    U    
Glasses: sunglasses  OS   WB    Umbrellas - intact  RS   OS   
Glassware: broken (tape, wrap and label)  HW   WB   TS    Umbrellas - broken  WB     
Glassware: unbroken, clean (tape, wrap and label)  RS   OS   WB    Underlay: can be used to top worm farms or can be recycled for flooring  SR   TS     
Golf Clubs  RS    V
      
Guttering lengths  RS   TS   SM    Vacuum cleaner dust  CBW   WB     
H   Vegetable and fruit scraps  CBW       
Hair: human min 35cm long, undyed, non-grey (donate to make wigs for sick children)  VC    Vehicle parts: car, motorbike, truck  SR   SM   
Hair: offcuts and shedded hair  CBW   WB    Vehicles: cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, caravans, buses, tractors, jet skis, boats on trailers  KUC   SM     
Helmets (cannot be accepted at opshops for safety reasons)  WB   TS    Video tapes (VHS, Beta etc.): commercial recordings  RS   OS   WB   
Herbicides, also known as "weed killers"  DYH    Video tapes (VHS, Beta etc.): home recordings  SR   WB   
Hot water bottles (no leaks)  RS   OS   WB    Vinyl material  KS   WB   TS   
Hot water units  SM   HW   TS    Vinyl records  KS   RS   OS   
Hypodermic needles, also known as "sharps"  CC    W    
I   Washing machines: free to drop off  KK   SR   TS   
Ice cream containers and lids  KS   RB    Waxed boxes and waxed cooking paper  WB   
Ink cartridges: Australia Post, Officeworks, Good Guys, JB Hi Fi, Harvey Norman  RE    Weeds  GB   TS   
J   Whitegoods (washing machines, fridges, freezers, stoves/ovens, microwave ovens: also known as e-waste): free to drop off  TS   SM   KK   
Jars with or without lids  KS   RB    Window glass (taped, wrapped & labelled for safety)  WB   HW   TS   
Juice cartons  RB    Wine bottles  RB   
Junk mail (ask Council for a free "no Junk Mail" sticker for your letterbox)  RB    Wood  RS   TS   
K   Wrapping paper  RB     
Kitty litter  WB    X    
L   X-rays (refer to recyclingnearyou.com.au for specialist recycling options)  SR   
Leaves  GB 
  Y      
Light bulbs: incandescent globe  WB    Yoghurt containers  RB   
Light bulbs: compact, tubes and LED  PDOS    Z  
M   Zincalume, Colorbond etc flashing and gutters  RS   TS   
Magazines  KS   RS   OS   RB     
Mailing satchels, also known as post packs: paper/padded, plastic  TC   WB         
Margarine tubs (empty)  RB         
Mattresses  HW   TS           
Meat Scraps  WB         
Meat trays: foam (never in your recycling bin, even if the tray has a code on its base)          
Meat trays: plastic  RB           
Medicine bottles: empty  RB           
Medicines: keep them out of waterways and landfill  RUM           
Milk cartons  RB       
Milk containers (plastic)  RB           
Mirrors: broken (tape, wrap and label)  WB   TS           
Mirrors: intact (tape, wrap and label)  RS   OS           
Motor oil  TS           
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