Your Yellow Bin is Collected Fortnightly
Acceptable items in your yellow bin:
- Aluminium foil (please scrunch it into a ball so our machines can pick it up)
- Aluminium cans (no need to crush)
- Paper and cardboard (any colour is accepted). Please bundle small pieces of paper like receipts into a paper bag or cereal box to assist with sorting.
- Milk and juice cartons such as tetra packs or poppers. Note: These packs with plastic lids and nozzles are accepted. (Straws to the red bin please)
- Glass bottles and jars such as beer and wine bottles, jam and vegemite jars
- Steel food cans, tins and lids such as baked beans and pet food.
- Empty aerosol cans
- Plastic containers – we call it rigid plastic, but just check to see if it’s got a recycle symbol and a number 1 to 7. This includes many take away containers, drink bottles and milk containers.
Note: please ensure containers are empty before placing in your yellow bin.
Do NOT place these items in your yellow bin:
- Plastic bags or wrappers such as cling wrap, bread bags, chips and biscuit packets. (Some plastic bags are stamped with a recycle symbol 1-5. However, no plastic bags are acceptable in your yellow bin).
- Meat trays, unless they have the recycle symbol and number 1-7 on them.
- Styrofoam or polystyrene foam including foam cups
- Non-recyclable plastics such as clothes baskets, buckets and hoses.
- Nappies of any type
- Fabrics such as clothing and ropes
- Crockery and ceramics including plates, mugs and pot plants.
- Biodegradable or decomposable plastic bags
- Treated glass including pyrex, drinking glasses, reading glasses, flourescent light tubes, window glass and windscreens.
- Fencing wire
- E waste including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, small appliances.
- Toys
- Waxy cardboard which includes empty fruit boxes
- Garden hoses
- Batteries of any type
What happens to your recyclables?
A Materials Recovery Facility where materials from our yellow/recycling bins are hand sorted before being baled and sold on for manufacturing into new products.
What if I have excess recyclables?
If you usually fill up your recycling bin before its collection day, you do have some options:
- Get a larger recycling bin. We can ‘upsize’ your bin to 360L – annual fees apply.
- Get an extra recycling bin. We can supply an additional 240L bin – annual fees apply.
- Visit a FREE recycling drop off point at your local waste facility.
- Look for items with less packaging when doing your shopping.
Community Recycling Centres
Some items don’t belong in any of your bins. The following can be dropped off at your local Community Recycling Centre for FREE:
- Gas bottles
- Fire Extinguishers
- Smoke alarms
- Full aerosol cans
- Motor and cooking oil
- Light globes
- Paint
- Batteries – household, car and boat
- Electronic waste
CRCs are located at Coffs Harbour (Englands Road), Raleigh (Short Cut Road and Nambucca Heads (Old Coast Road) waste facilities.
Why should we recycle?
Unfortunately, Australians are among the highest waste producers in the world. Each person on the Coffs Coast generates approximately 1 tonne of rubbish every year! But, up to 40% of this amount is recyclable.
One of the easiest ways an individual can help reduce this problem is by placing recyclable waste into their yellow bin to be made into new products.
This process is more beneficial for us and the environment when compared to manufacturing new products from raw materials. Recycling:
- reduces the amount of raw materials like oil, iron, freshwater and wood from being extracted from natural ecosystems.
- lowers the amount of energy required and emissions produced while extracting, refining and processing raw materials.
- minimises the amount of waste going to landfill and the need for more landfill sites.
- encourages innovative ideas; creates employment opportunities and supports local and national economies.
Check that you are recycling as much of your household waste as you can because every time you get it right, you are making a difference.