Make Christmas recycling easy

Published on 09 December 2025

The festive season is here – a time for joy, laughter and … lots of rubbish.

 Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is encouraging everyone to keep the Christmas spirit alive by recycling right and reducing waste. Please place items in the correct bin when cleaning up after a busy round of festive celebrations.

 TRC Waste Services portfolio spokesperson Cr Melissa Taylor said that this simple tip avoids contaminating waste streams and maximises the benefits of recycling.

 “Christmas is about giving and that includes giving our environment a helping hand. Reuse what you can, recycle everything possible and only throw away what you really have to,” Cr Taylor said.

 “Sorting items correctly makes a big difference. Recycling saves landfill space, cuts costs and helps us reach our goal of diverting 90% of waste from landfill by 2050. Plus, it reduces the State Waste levy, or the ‘bin tax’. So, it’s a win for everyone!”

 Residents are reminded to follow simple tips to avoid contaminating waste.

• Plastic bags should be placed in the general waste bin, NOT in greenwaste or recycling bins.
• All non-hazardous waste can be placed in the general waste bin, which is collected weekly. Prawn heads can be bagged and placed in the freezer until bin day. All food items go in the general waste bin.

 The following items can go in the recycling bin (yellow lid):

• Newspaper and paper, cardboard, magazines and junk mail. Cardboard with plastic windows can be recycled.
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Steel and aluminium cans, empty aerosols, aluminium foil and trays (use the scrunch test. If it springs back, it isn’t aluminium).
• Juice and milk cartons.
• Plastic containers.

(No foil wrapping paper, cellophane, ribbons, streamers or strapping. Non-recyclable waste interferes with the sorting of recyclable material. Place all these items in your general waste bin.)

 For details, visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/recycling

 Flatten waste before placing it in the bin. If you have more recyclable material that won’t fit in your bin, it can be offloaded at your nearest waste facility for free (for household loads).

 Cr Taylor said kerbside collection services will continue as normal across the Christmas-New Year season.

 “Please place bins on the footpath the night before to ensure you don’t miss the collection service,” Cr Taylor said.

 “All waste facilities will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Normal operating hours at waste facilities resume from Saturday, December 27, 2025.”

 For details about TRC service operations during the Christmas closure, please call Council on 131 872 or visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/christmashours

 Residents can see the queue at the Greater Toowoomba Waste Management Facility at O’Mara Road to plan trips by visiting, WasteCam (3840×1080) (Refresh for latest view)