A-Z recycling guide
Nillumbik’s household recycling goes to Cleanaway’s recycling facility in Coolaroo, where it’s sorted and bundled up for local and international markets. The recycling industry has faced significant challenges over the past few years due to restrictions on export markets and limited local demand for recovered materials. We regularly update this A-Z list based on any changes to the items Cleanaway accepts and advancements within the recycling industry.
If you can’t find an item on the list, please complete the recycling question form and we will get back to you.
Acids and alkalis
Adapters (e-waste)
Adhesive strip
Advertising material (including envelopes with or without windows)
Aerosol cans (empty) > see Can
Aerosol cans (full)
Air conditioners (e-waste)
Aluminium foil
Animal fur
Animal faeces/poo
Anti-freeze
Antibiotics > see Medicine
Appliances > see Electronic/electrical appliances
Asbestos
Ash (cold)
Audio tapes and reels (e-waste)
Australia Post satchels (plastic) - post packs, express post satchel, parcel post satchel - see > Postal bags
Bag ties
Balloons
Bandaids > see Adhesive strip
Baskets cane (broken)
Baskets (usable)
Batteries
BBQ
Bean bags
Beer bottle tops (metal) > see Lids
Beer can > see Can
Berry punnets
Bicycles (broken)
Books
Bones
Bottle tops and lids - see Lids
Boxes (cardboard)
Boxes (waxed cardboard) > see Cardboard (waxed)
Bread bag, plastic
Bread bag clip (plastic)
Bricks and rubble
Bubble wrap
Building materials
Butane cans (from camp stoves) - Detox your home
Cable ties
Cake trays (plastic)
Candles
Can
Car (old)
Car batteries > see Batteries (Car)
Car seats (child car seats and boosters)
Cardboard
Cardboard (waxed)
- red landfill bin
- Waxed cardboard and boxes aren’t suitable for paper recycling due to the wax coating
Carpet scraps
Carpet/underlay
Cartons, juice, milk, UHT and Tetra Paks
- red landfill bin - cartons are composed of a mix of plastic and cardboard. Tetra Paks/UHT cartons are also lined with foil and are no longer fully recyclable.
Cartridges (printer) (e-waste)
Cat poo and kitty litter
Cassette tapes
Cassette tape cases
CDs (e-waste)
CD cover (hard plastic)
CD/DVD drives (e-waste)
Cellophane (from bunches of flowers)
- REDcycle - visit REDcycle website for further information
Ceramics (broken)
Ceramics (intact)
- charity
- Make sure items are in good condition and are clean and not stained
Cereal boxes
Cereal box insert
Chemicals
Chewing gum
Chip packet
Children's car seat > see Car seats (child car seats and boosters)
China
Christmas tree (fake)
Christmas tree (live)
Cigarette butts
Cigarette lighter (empty)
Cigarette packet
Clean fill
Cling wrap
Clothing and shoes
Coat hangers (metal)
Coat hangers (plastic)
Coffee cups (disposable)
- Cup (plastic lined paper) - red landfill bin
- Lid (plastic) - yellow recycling bin
- Standard disposable coffee cups are made from liquid paperboard which is a mix of paper and plastic. At the moment, processing of liquid paperboard isn’t very effective so when coffee cups are put in the recycling bin, they contaminate the other items to be recycled
Coffee jars
Coffee granules
Coffee pods/capsules
Compact discs (e-waste) > see CDs
Computers (e-waste)
Compostable cups (PLA plastic)
- red landfill bin
- Contact individual brand of cup for commercial composting options
- Nillumbik's kerbside green waste compost facility does not accept PLA plastics
Computer parts and peripheries (e-waste)
Computer mouse (e-waste)
Computer monitor/screen (e-waste)
Concrete
Cooking oil
Cooler bag (reusable from supermarket)
Corks
Cosmetic jars (empty)
Cotton
Cotton wool buds
Cups and saucers (intact)
- charity
- Make sure items are in good condition and are clean and not stained
Cups and saucers (broken)
Curtains (reusable)
- charity
- Make sure items are in good condition and are clean and not faded
Curtains
Cutlery (plastic)
Cutlery (metal)
Detergent bottles (plastic)
Devices (e-waste) > see E-waste
Dirt (commercial quantities)
Disposable nappies
Disc drives (e-waste)
Dog poo > see Animal feaces/poo
Doonas and pillows
Down lights (e-waste)
Drink can > see Can
Drinking straws
Drink bottles (plastic)
Dry cleaning bags
Dryer (hair) (e-waste)
Ducted heating units (e-waste)
Ducting (flexible tubing from ducted heating)
Dummies (for babies)
red landfill bin
DVDs (e-waste)
DVD/CD drives (e-waste) > see CD/DVD drives
Electronic/electrical appliances (e-waste)
Electrical cable (e-waste)
Egg cartons
Enamel pots/bowls
Envelopes > see Advertising material
Eye glasses (broken)
E-waste (e-waste)
Fabric/Textiles (cleaning rags, old towels)
Fax machines (e-waste)
Fencing (timber)
Fencing wire (including electric)
Fertiliser bag (plastic and woven polypropylene)
Fibreglass
Film negatives
Fire extinguisher
Floppy discs (e-waste)
Floppy disc drives (e-waste)
Fluorescent tubes (e-waste)
Foam boxes
Foam meat trays
Foam underlay > see Carpet/underlay
Foil > see Aluminium foil
Foil lined cartons > see Cartons
Food can > see Cans
Food pouches, yoghurt and baby food (soft plastic)
Fruit and vegetable scraps
Fridge
Fuels
Furniture
Garden chemicals
Garden materials
Gas bottles (empty)
Glad wrap > see Cling wrap
Glass
- Drinking cups and Pyrex glass - red landfill bin (this type for glass is not recycled as it does not melt at the same temperature as bottles and jars)
Gift cards (plastic wallet sized cards)
Gift wrapping > see Wrapping paper
Golf balls
Grass clippings > see Garden materials
Greeting cards paper (used)
Hair pet or human (small amounts)
Hair (large amounts)
Hard drives (e-waste)
Hard plastic
Hay bale twine (plastic and fabric)
Headphones (e-waste)
Helium tanks
Highlighters and textas
Hoses
Hot water bottles
Hot water systems (broken) (e-waste)
Household chemicals
Hypodermic needles > see Needles
Ice cream containers (coated paper or plastic)
Ice cream lids > see Lids
Icy pole sticks
Ink cartridge - Recycling Centre
Insulation
iPads (e-waste)
IT cords and cables (e-waste)
Jars
Juicer (electric) (e-waste)
Juice cartons > see Cartons
Junk mail > see advertising material
Keyboards (e-waste)
Kitchen sponges
Kitty litter
Laptops (e-waste)
Lawnmower
Leaves > see Garden materials
Lids
- Metal lids can be placed loose in the yellow recycling bin
- Large plastic lids (e.g ice cream container) - yellow recycling bin
- Small plastic lids red landfill bin - small lids fall through the sorting lines at the recycling facility and as there are not many businesses that want to buy that type of plastic they have little economic value.
Light bulbs and tubes (e-waste)
Linen
Lolly wrappers (plastic including foil lined plastic)
Long life milk cartons (Tetra Pak) > see Cartons
Magazines
Manure (horse/cow)
Margarine tubs
Match boxes
Mattresses
Meat scraps
Meat trays (foam)
Meat trays (plastic)
Medicine
Milk bottle (Plastic)
Milk cartons > see Cartons
Mirror glass (broken)
Mobile phones (e-waste)
Modems (e-waste)
Monitors > see Computer monitors/Screens
Motor oil
Nappies (disposable)
Nappies (compostable)
Needles (syringe)
- Purchase sharps container from your local pharmacy and return filled to pharmacy
Netting bag for oranges/onions/garlic
- REDcycle
- see REDcycle website for further information
Newspaper
Noxious weeds > see Garden materials
Nylon chopping boards - red landfill bin
Office paper
Cooking oil
Oil (used cooking oil) > see Cooking oil
Oil (motor) > see Motor oil
Orange net bags > see Netting bag for oranges/onions/garlic
Ovens (old)
Packing tape, plastic
Paint tins (dry)
Paint
Paint stripper
Pallet stretch wrap
Paper towel (used)
Paper towel roll
Pens and pencils
Perfume bottle
Perspex
Pet food tins
Pet hair (small amount)
Petrol
Pharmaceuticals > see Medicine
Phone books
Phone handsets (e-waste)
Photographs
Photo negatives
Polystyrene
Pottery (broken) > see Ceramics (broken)
Pottery (intact) > see Ceramics (intact)
Power supplies (e-waste)
Picture frames
Pill packets (empty)
Pillows and doonas - see Doonas and pillows
Pills (medicine) > see Medicine
Pizza boxes
Place mats
Plant cuttings > see Garden materials
Plant pots (plastic)
- red landfill bin
- The optical sorter at the recycling facility (Cleanaway) does not sort black plastics correctly
Plant pots (broken ceramic) > see Ceramics (broken)
Plastic (rigid/hard, coded 1-5)
Plastic, soft/flexible
Plastic air pillow protective packaging
Plastic bags
Plastic Film (e.g film from frozen dinners, top of meat trays etc)
Plastic hay bale twine - see Hay bale twine (plastic and fabric)
Plastic lids
Plastic packing tape > see Packing tape, plastic
Plastic toys (broken)
Plastic trays/baskets
Plastic wrap > see Cling wrap
Plastic wrappers
Plaster
Plate glass (wrapped) - red landfill bin, hard waste collection
Plush toys
Polystyrene
red landfill bin , Recycling Centre (landfill option only), other recycling facilities (for recycling)
Pool acid containers (empty)
Pool acid
Postal bags
Pots and pans
Potting mix bags
- REDcycle
- see REDcycle website for more information
Power cables (domestic) (e-waste)
Prams
Printer/toner cartridges (e-waste)
Printers (e-waste)
Pyrex ovenware (broken)
Pyrex ovenware (intact)
- charity
- Make sure items are clean and in good condition
Quilt covers
Records (vinyl)
Reusable green check out bags
Reusable check out bags (fabric)
- charity
- red landfill bin
- If donating to charity please make sure items are in good condition, clean and not stained
Rope
Rubber
Rubber gloves
Sandpaper
Sanitary items
Satellite navigation systems (e-waste)
Screw/nails
Scanners (e-waste)
Serviettes (paper)
Serviettes (cloth)
- charity
- red landfill bin
- If donating to charity please make sure items are in good condition, clean and not stained
Shade cloth
Shampoo bottles
Sheets (old/stained)
Shredded paper
Shoes > see Clothing and shoes
Silver foil - see Aluminium foil
Smoke alarms - detox your home
Soft drink bottles
Soft drink can > see Can
Soft toys
Soft plastic > see Plastic, soft/flexible
Speakers - (e-waste)
Spectacles
Steel can < see Can
Steel
Straws
Stickers
Sticky tape > see adhesive strip
Strawberry punnets - see Berry punnets
Styrofoam
Sweet wrappers - REDcycle
Syringes > see Needles
Tablets (electronic) (e-waste)
Tablets (medicine) - see Medicine
Take away containers (plastic)
Tarpaulins
Tartaric acid (large quantities)
Tea bags
Tea leaves
Telephone books
Tennis balls
Tennis racquets
Tetra Pak (long life cartons) > see Cartons
Textas
Tiles (broken)
Tin can > see Can
Tin (scrap metal)
Timber
Tissues
Tissue boxes
Toaster (e-waste)
Toilet paper rolls
Toner cartridges (e-waste)
Toothbrushes
Toothbrushes (electric) (e-waste)
Toothpaste tubes
Toys (plastic and plush)
Towels (old/stained)
Tree prunings
Tree/plant protector guards
Twine (jute, cotton, fibre or plastic)
TV (e-waste)
UHT cartons > see Cartons
Vacuum cleaner (e-waste)
Vacuum cleaner dust bags
Vegetable scraps
Video tapes (e-waste)
Vinyl records - charity
Waxed cardboard
Waxed paper
Weeds
Wet wipes
Windows (broken and wrapped in paper)
Window panes
Wine bottles
Wine bottle screw tops -
Wine cask bag
Wood (treated pine)
Wool scraps
Wrapping paper
X-rays
Yoghurt containers
Zip lock bags