Alerts

  • Brunswick: We are experiencing delays with glass recycling collections. Please leave your bins out for collection on Saturday 5 October.

Recycle Right

How to recycle right

Recycling right keeps valuable resources out of landfill so that they can be used again and again.

To learn what goes in each bin, visit our webpages for:

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To find out how to recycle, reuse or safely dispose of a wide range of common household items:

  • By putting the right items in the right bin, you are helping to make new products like glass jars, cardboard boxes and compost.

    When we put the right items in our bins, we help ensure that they can be recycled or composted.

    Putting incorrect items in your recycling bin is called contamination. For example, a glass bottle in a mixed recycling bin is contamination. Contamination makes it harder to turn your recycling into new things.

    Only putting correct items in your bin helps to keep workers and the public safe. Incorrect items need to be removed by hand at sorting facilities. This can put workers at risk of injury.

    Some items, such as batteries and electronic items, can be hazardous. Putting these items in your bin could cause smouldering or fires in the collection truck, at sorting facilities or in landfill which could put workers, and the public at risk as well as pollute our environment. 

    Putting incorrect and hazardous items in your bin can also make the cost of managing waste and recycling more expensive as they can cause work stoppages as well as damage to machinery and facilities. 

    • Your mixed recycling goes to Visy Recycling’s materials recovery facility in Heidelberg. It is separated and sorted into different material types like plastic, cardboard and metal. This is processed and used to make new products.
    • Your food and garden organics goes to Veolia’s composting facility in Bulla. It is processed into compost and soil enhancers and used by Victorian farmers to grow our food.
    • Your glass recycling goes to Visy Recycling’s glass beneficiation plant in Laverton. It is cleaned, sorted by colour and prepared for processing so it can be used to make new glass bottles and jars.
    • Your general rubbish is sent to the Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall.

What is contamination in my bins?

Contamination is when you put incorrect items in your bin.

For example, a glass bottle in a mixed reycling bin is contamination.

What is the Recycle Right Program?

Recycle Right Program is the new name for our Bin Inspection Program. Using your bins correctly is a simple way to look after the environment for you, your family and future generations.

Our Recycle Right Program gives feedback to residents on how to recycle and use their bins correctly. Recycle Right is an education bin tagging program which aims to help you:

  • Increase your recycling knowledge
  • Reduce contamination
  • Keep the people who sort our waste safe.

  • Knowing what can and can’t go in each of your bins can sometimes seem confusing.

    The Recycle Right Program can help you learn what items can and can’t go in your bins so that you feel confident to use your bins correctly.

    Our Recycle Right team check your bins when they are out for collection and tag them with information specifically for your household.

    The team checks mixed recycling, glass recycling and food and garden organics bins.

    By recycling right, fewer items are sent to landfill and more can be turned into things like new glass jars, cardboard boxes, mulch, and compost. 

    It also helps to keep workers and the public safe.

    If you have questions or would like to leave feedback about our Recycle Right Program, please contact us.

  • All bins that have been checked will have a tag or sticker put on them.

     

  • When your bin is placed out for collection, our Recycle Right team will open the bin lid and look inside to check for items that do not belong in that bin.

    Bins that have been checked will have a bin tag or sticker put on the bin. We check mixed recycling, glass recycling and food and garden organics bins.

    Bins found with correct items inside receive a “Thank you” bin tag, letting you know that you’re recycling right.

    Bins found with incorrect items inside receive an “Oh no” bin tag, letting you know what incorrect items were found and how to use your bins correctly.

    Bins found with a high number of incorrect items inside may also receive a rejection sticker. This lets you know that you will need to remove the incorrect items so that your bin can be emptied.

  • If your bin has a rejection sticker put on it and is not emptied, you will need to:

    1. Remove the incorrect items listed on the bin tag, and
    2. Wait until your next collection day to have your bin emptied or call us on 9240 1111 to arrange collection.

  • Our Recycle Right team carry identification that they can show to residents if asked.

    Our Recycle Right team never take any items from your bins.

    To protect your privacy confidential, information such as bank account numbers or other personal data should never be put in your bin unless it is destroyed first. You can do this by cutting or tearing up confidential documents or making personal information unreadable.

    If you choose to shred documents, this must be bagged or wrapped and put in your general rubbish bin. Shredded paper is too small to be recycled.

  • Residents should only be using the bins that belong to their household.

    To reduce the chance of people dumping waste in your bin, place your bins out on the morning of your collection day rather than the night before and bring your bins back inside your property within 24 hours.

    If this is a reoccurring problem, contact us to report.

  • To learn what goes in each bin, visit our bins and collections web pages for mixed recycling bins, food and garden organics bins, and glass recycling bins.

    You can also find specific items in our A-Z guide to waste and recycling, or contact us.