Recycling (Yellow Bin)

 Your recycling bin has a yellow lid and is collected fortnightly.

Help us keep recycling out of landfill.

Did you know that your recycling is sorted by hand to remove items that shouldn’t be there? You can help our recycling workers by ensuring only the right things are put in the recycling bin. Remember – if in doubt, leave it out.

Click below to use our search tool to find out which items belong in your recycling bin. 

Download our Recycling 2.0 App to access our search tool on your phone. 

How to recycle using this bin:

1. Check the item you are discarding is made from plastic bottles with code 1 or 2, and plastic containers with code 5, unwaxed paper or cardboard, aluminium or steel cans or the recently included UHT/Tetra Pak.

2. Tip, rinse or scrape out any obvious solids or liquids from the container – they must be empty.

3. If a container has a lid, take it off. Most lids, even metal ones, are made from mixed materials and not accepted by our processor. Put plastic and metal lids in the rubbish bin.

Items accepted in your yellow recycling bin

Metals:

Cans & tins - aluminium and steel

Aluminium foil – rolled into a ball, about 10cm in diameter

Foil trays, in a ball to help the metal detector pick it up

Cardboard products:

Cardboard boxes

Egg cartons

Tissue boxes - remove plastic insert

Pizza boxes - with food debris removed

Cereal boxes – the soft plastic liner inside goes in the garbage.

Empty toilet paper rolls

UHT/Tetra Pak

Paper products:

Advertising material: catalogues, flyers

Office paper

Shredded paper, if it is enclosed in a paper bag or cardboard box, such as a shoebox

Newspapers

Magazines

Envelopes

Cards

Uncoated deli paper

Wrapping paper, as long as it doesn’t have a metallic or laminated finish on top of the paper

Plastics codes 1, 2 & 5:

Drink bottles - codes 1 and 2

Shampoo bottles - codes 1 and 2

Laundry detergent bottles - codes 1 and 2

Milk bottles - code 2

Food containers (eg. margarine, yoghurt or ice cream containers) – code 5

Download a fact sheet, which shows what can and can’t go in each bin, here.(PDF, 4MB)

Current markets for recyclables 

Some items that went in the yellow recycling bin before Recycling 2.0 are no longer accepted. The reason is because many of those items were sent overseas for processing, but the demand is no longer there.

We get better recycling outcomes by processing our waste locally, as it increases the value and life span of our recyclables.

There is a local market demand for plastic bottles with the codes 1 & 2, and plastic containers with the code 5, such as some yoghurt, margarine and ice cream tubs. These plastics are easily recyclable and used to make a range of common products made here in Australia. 

To download a Recycling Plastics factsheet, click here(PDF, 2MB)  

What happens to your recycling

Hobsons Bay’s commingled recycling is currently being processed at two local providers to increase and improve our recycling performance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfill and reduce costs associated with highly contaminated materials.

The majority of recycling collected across the municipality is being sorted at Australian Paper Recovery (APR) in Truganina. However loads presenting with higher than average contamination rates is being sent to Cleanaway in Laverton. 

Council is continually working to reduce contamination in the commingled stream, and will be delivering targeted education campaigns to support the community to reduce the waste we send to landfill.   

To watch a video of the sorting process at Australian Paper Recovery (APR), click here.

Paper and cardboard

Recycled paper and cardboard can be broken down to pulp. The pulp is then re-manufactured into paper products, similar to the way paper is made from new, raw materials.

Products made from recycled paper and cardboard conserve trees, and their production uses 50 per cent less energy and 90 per cent less water than making them from new, raw resources.

Plastics

• Plastic code 1 (PET) bottles are re-made into new bottles.
• Plastic code 2 (HDPE) bottles are remade into plastic bollards, pallets for transporting and securing cargo, fence or barrier railing and decking board.
• Plastic code 2 (HDPE) laundry bottles are remade into new bottles.
• Plastic code 5 (PP) containers are remade into new food-grade containers and casing around electric cabling.

Producing plastics from recycled materials saves around 88 per cent of the energy required to make plastic using raw materials of oil and gas.

Metals

Metals are sorted into scrap metal and aluminium.

Aluminium is crushed, melted and recast into new aluminium products. Scrap metal is crushed, shredded and sorted. It’s then melted and further purified before being recast into new metal products.

Making new products from recycled steel cans helps save up to 75 per cent of the energy and 40 per cent of the water needed to make steel from the raw materials.

Avoid producing waste in the first place

Although we do a good job of recycling household items, to conserve natural resources we must use less resources like plastic, paper, cardboard and metals.

Many people have already changed their daily habits and carry around a reusable coffee cup and cloth shopping bag. You can also:

•  choose to buy products with less packaging (loose apples, for example, not apples in a plastic tray and with a plastic outer wrap)

• choose products that can be locally recycled back into new products

• use bees-wax cotton wraps instead of plastic food wrap

• consider eating in or taking your own lunch to work instead of taking away

• when possible, say no to straws

Be informed. We recommend always checking the plastics codes on packaging when you are shopping. Different companies use different plastics for their packaging so make a point of being informed about what you are buying.

Council is continually exploring other recycling options and welcomes your suggestions.

Do you need to dispose of something that can't go in your recycling bin or isn't listed?

Take a look at our Hard waste collection service, Which bin does this go in? page or, Other options for household waste page.

Missed collection

If your recycling bin has not been emptied, please contact Council on 1300 179 944 or complete the Missed bin collection online form.

Lost, damaged and stolen bins

Council will replace or repair your recycling bin if it has undergone normal wear and tear, or if it is stolen. A Statutory Declaration may be required.

If you have lost your recycling bin or it has been stolen or damaged, please contact Council on 1300 179 944 or Report a damaged or missing bin online.