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Last Updated: Tuesday, 24 December 2024 14:49

We're proud of the recycling efforts by Toowoomba Region residents. But there's still room for improvement. It's time to look at how we can work together to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. The information below will help you choose which products belong in your recycling bin.

Recycling bins (yellow lid) are available in 240L (standard) and 360L (optional) sizes.

Recycling right helps everyone out - your neighbourhood, the environment and our beautiful Region! 

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The recycling process

All the waste is sorted at a materials recycling facility in Brisbane. Some of the material is baled and exported for further recycling and manufacturing. Placing non-recyclable waste in the recycling bin can cause a lower grade product to be produced in the manufacturing process.


Items for the recycling bin

Generally, much of the hard containers and materials that come from the kitchen, laundry or bathroom can be recycled. These can include: 

  • paper, magazines, newspaper, junk mail, paper gift wrap, greeting cards
  • shredded paper - place it in a paper bag or a cereal box, do not use plastic bags
  • cardboard, egg cartons, empty pizza boxes, avoid waxed cardboard
  • glass bottles and jars (clear, green or brown glass only). Remove metal lids from glass bottles and jars. Place them in a container of the same material (steel into a can or aluminium into a drink can) or throw them into the general waste bin.
  • steel cans and empty aerosol cans
  • aluminium cans
  • aluminium foil and foil trays - roll into a ball about the size of a tennis ball
  • clean rigid plastic bottles containers and packaging trays - from your household only. Plastic Identification Codes (♺) 1, 2 & 5 only. Please remove any caps, triggers and spray pumps/nozzles. Avoid containers from the shed that have held petrol, chemicals or oil. These can be taken to your nearest waste facility
  • cartons - such as tetra packs, milk/cream and juice cartons (please remove any caps).
  • plastic trays from biscuit packets (not the outside packaging, this goes in your red lidded bin). 

 

What stays out of the recycling bin

The list below outlines some of the things that can't be recycled and therefore stay out of the yellow bin:

  • soft plastics such as plastic bags, bin liners, soft plastics, plastic wrap and bubble wrap
  • food and kitchen scraps
  • lawn clippings and tree cuttings
  • empty containers from your shed or garage that have held chemicals, fuels or oil
  • brooms and mops
  • plastic furniture or hoses
  • crockery or china, pyrex and ovenproof dishes
  • blue and white glass
  • drinking glasses and ceramic mugs
  • disposable/single-use coffee cups - put the cup and the plastic lid in your general waste bin
  • mirrors, fish tanks, safety glass
  • light bulbs, fluorescent lamps
  • window or automotive glass
  • waxed cardboard
  • foil lined cardboard chip packaging tubes
  • tissues, serviettes, toilet paper or paper towels
  • wet wipes, nappies, sanitary and incontinence products - disposable and cloth
  • foil gift wrapping or ribbon
  • polystyrene foam and packing (including food packaging trays similar to trays meat is sold in at the supermarket)
  • clothes or fabric (contact your local charity organisation)
  • syringes, sharps containers or medical waste
  • batteries - all types
  • e-Waste (computers, printers, TV's, microwaves etc.)
  • building/renovation waste - (e.g. pvc pipe, fixtures, fittings, plasterboard etc. )
  • meat trays that contain foam. Place this in your general waste bin.
  • foam packaging from computers and white goods boxes even if there is a number in a triangle on it
  • bricks, concrete, masonry, tiles, rocks etc.

These are all contaminants to the recycling process. If you put these in your recycling bin, your bin may not be emptied and you will need to remove the contaminants before the bin is emptied. You may be charged a fee for an additional bin collection.

Many of the listed items can be disposed of at your nearest waste facility.

  

Wheelie bin maintenance

If your wheelie bin is damaged or has broken parts (e.g. cracked or missing lids, pins, wheels and/or axles), refer to bin maintenance - repairs, stolen or lost bins or contact us.

 

Still have questions?

+ - Can I bag or box my recyclable items? Click to collapse

Always place your recyclables loose into your kerbside yellow lid recycling bin. Never bag or box your recyclables.

+ - Can I recycle soft plastics (plastic bags, food packaging etc)? Click to collapse

Soft plastics such as cling wrap, plastic bags, bin liners, bread bags and other plastic packaging are not recyclable through your kerbside service. These should be disposed of in your general waste (red lid) bin.

+ - Can I recycle small items? Click to collapse

Anything smaller than a credit card (85 x 55 mm) loose in your kerbside recycling needs to be kept out of the yellow lid recycling bin. This includes drink and milk bottle lids, bread tags and jar, bottle tops or small pieces of paper.

If you want to recycle small items, place them into a container of the same material first. Make sure that the container is one that won’t break open or have the lid come off when compressed in the back of the kerbside collection truck.

Aluminium caps and tags can be placed in an aluminium drink can before crushing the can, so they don’t fall out. Similarly, steel bottle tops and can or jar lids can be placed in a used food can, which then have the open end squashed down. Aluminium foil sheet must be scrunched up into a ball at least the size of a tennis ball (6.5 - 6.8 cm) before being placed in your kerbside recycling bin.

Aluminium coffee pods can be placed in a can or scrunched up with foil.

+ - How about large items? Click to collapse

Nothing larger than 50cm in any dimension. To save space, flatten all boxes and crush or nest containers.

+ - Do I have to clean out the containers before throwing them away? How clean should they be? Click to collapse

Yes. Make sure all your containers are free from food or liquids by wiping or rinsing them out. A little film or residue is fine but pieces of food, sauce or grease are not.

Same goes for cardboard boxes and containers. A little grease or sauce film or residue is fine. Chunks of cheese or bits of pizza are not.

+ - Do I have to remove labels from containers and bottles? Click to collapse

No, it’s not a requirement to do so.

 

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