Recycling stations

Thanks for making a difference and keeping resources out of landfill

Drop off a range of household items into our yellow recycling cabinets for free at our Coburg, Brunswick and Glenroy Customer Service Centres:

• Merri-bek Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg
• Brunswick Customer Service Centre, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick
• Glenroy Customer Service Centre, 50 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy

Accepted items

Expand each item to read what they're recycled into. 

• Mobile Phones

  More than 95 per cent of the materials in your mobile phone can be recycled.

  The phones are dismantled and sorted. The batteries are processed to recover cobalt, lithium and nickel, precious metals are recovered from the circuit board, and the plastic cases are processed for recycling.

  The various materials are then used to make products such as new phones, batteries, jewellery, and plastic fencing.

  Mobile phones contain hazardous materials. When in landfill these leach into the environment for years to come. Mobile phones should not go in your garbage bin.

• Digital Cameras

  Digital cameras contain valuable materials such as gold, silver, aluminium and copper.

  The metals and plastics are separated, recycled and used in the manufacture of new products.

• CDs and DVDs

  CD’s and DVD’s are shredded to separate the aluminium and the polycarbonate plastic.

  These are then used in the manufacture of various products including automotive industry parts, office equipment and street lights.

• Video and Cassette Tapes (Coburg location only)

  The plastic case is separated from the video and cassette tape, granulated and recycled. It is then used in the manufacture of new products.

  The actual tape cannot be recycled at present.
  
  **Please note: Our Coburg Recycling Station can only hold a small amount of video tapes. If you have a large volume please contact Ecoactiv directly on 1800 489 278**

• Household batteries

  Batteries contain valuable metals such as cadmium, zinc and manganese.

  Once collected, batteries are sorted by chemistry type and recycled in Australia and overseas. Precious materials are recovered from the batteries and used in the production of new batteries.

  Batteries contain hazardous materials (including lead and mercury). When in landfill these leach into the environment for years to come. Batteries should not go in your garbage bin.

• Pens, highlighters and markers

  These are recycled by TerraCycle. 

  The recycled plastic is used in the manufacture of garden beds, park benches and playgrounds. 

• Fluorescent light globes, tubes, CFLs and LEDs

  The metal, glass and phosphor powder from fluorescent tubes and globes are separated, recycled and used in the manufacture of fertilizer, aluminium cans and insulation batts.

  The phosphor powder in the globes contains mercury, which contaminates the environment when placed in landfill. These should not go in your garbage bin.

• Eye Glasses

  The International Lions Club gives donated eyeglasses to people in developing countries.

  Over the last 26 years, their ‘Recycle for Sight’ program has delivered over 7 million pairs of refurbished glasses to people in need worldwide.

Share your ideas and experiences with reducing, reusing, and minimising waste

We are developing a new Circular Economy Strategy that will guide how we manage waste and resources in Merri-bek over the next 5 years.