Getting back to basics this National Recycling Week

This week is Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week. Established in 1996, this annual campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling.

On average, we’ve found that over 75% of the content of our recycling bins includes accepted items, this is worth celebrating. But of course, there is always room for improvement.

Sometimes, one of the best things we can do is keep certain items out of the recycling bin to avoid contaminating what can be recycled. Follow the below tips to get recycling right.

Five top tips for recycling

1. Always keep your recycling loose, never in bags. When recycling is bagged, it can’t be safely sorted at a recycling facility. Tying up recyclables in a plastic bag can spoil a truckload of recycling.
2. Place all disposable coffee cups and lids in your garbage bin. It doesn’t matter what they’re made of: all coffee cups and lids must go in the garbage bin. Here’s why:
   1. Paper coffee cups usually have a plastic lining, so they can’t be recycled via your yellow-lidded bin. The lids that match these cups are usually polystyrene (code number 6) which we do not recycle. This is why we advise residents to put both cups and lids in the red bin.
   2. Compostable and biodegradable cups and lids may be designed to completely break down in a composting environment, but we can’t accept them in the FOGO (food organics garden organics) bin (or yellow lidded bin). This is because they look similar to regular coffee cups and can be confused with contamination by sorters at the recycling facility.
3. Place long-life liquid food containers (e.g. Tetra Pak) and milk/juice cartons in the garbage bin.
   1. Neither of these can be recycled through your yellow-lidded bin. This is because both items contain more than one material. Cartons are made from paper and plastics, and liquid paperboard items contain many layers including foils.
   2. Note that smaller drink containers and cartons (under 1L) can be recycled through CDS Vic – Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme for a 10c refund. There are several drop-off points across the City.
4. Dispose of batteries and e-waste safely. If batteries are placed in a regular bin, they can cause fires and injury. Instead, dispose of these items:
   1. at the Port Phillip Resource Recovery Centre, South Melbourne
   2. by booking a Hard Waste collection for bulkier items
   3. at B-cycle drop-off points including most supermarkets (household batteries only).
5. Dispose of vapes through our specialty recycling program. If vapes are placed in a regular bin, they can cause fires and injury. Drop them off during business hours at:
   1. St Kilda Town Hall, 99A Carlisle Street, St Kilda
   2. the Port Phillip Resource Recovery Centre, South Melbourne
   3. the Victorian Pride Centre, St Kilda.

For more information on what can and can't go in your recycling bin, check out our Guide to recycling bins and services.