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Your recycling bin
Find out which items should go into your recycling bin.

The following items can be recycled 

  • Clean empty rigid plastic bottles and containers – food containers just need a quick rinse
  • Clean paper and cardboard
  • Clean steel food cans empty aerosol and aluminium cans and scrunched-up foil
  • Clean empty glass bottles and food and sauce jars (lids removed)
  • Metal lids – must be separated from container
  • Large plastic lids (bigger than a credit card) – must be separated from container

These items do not go into your recycling bin

These items cause contamination of the recycling bin. This means that material that should be recycled and made into new products will instead go to landfill.

  • Bagged material in any type of plastic bag
  • Cardboard cartons designed to hold liquids – for example Tetra Paks
  • Polystyrene packaging
  • Plastic toys
  • Metal pots and pans
  • Small plastic lids (smaller than a credit card) – these can be recycled through Lids4Kids
  • Clothing and footwear
  • Nappies 

Here are some extra tips to make sure your recycling gets another life:

  • If you’re not sure if a plastic can be recycled give it a squeeze! If it goes back to its original shape it’s a rigid plastic and is safe to put in your recycle bin.
  • Make sure to keep your recycling loose and not in plastic bags.  
Please place all soft plastics into your red landfill bin until further notice as the REDcycle scheme is currently on hold. Visit their website for more information.  

Recycling guide

Use the online directory to find your recycling options for a wide range of items.

Regular updates

Want to be a recycling guru? Sign up for our Rethink Your Rubbish newsletter and we’ll keep you up-to-date on living a low-waste lifestyle. 

  • You can freely dispose of white goods paint scrap metals oils car batteries BBQ gas cylinders televisions computers equipment and excess recycling at one of our Drysdale or Geelong resource recovery centres. View our recycling guide for more information on how to dispose of your unwanted stuff. You can also see what goes in your recycling bin and get tips on how to reduce re-use and recycle.