While we’re all spending time at home, like many people you are probably cooking more, ordering things online and receiving more deliveries than usual. This means you’re also probably ending up with a lot more waste than you normally have.

If you’re also like a lot of people, you might find yourself and members of your household wondering which is the right bin to put everything in.

If that’s you and you need some help, here are some tips to help you save time and sort the most common items that leave people scratching their heads.

First of all, always remember to keep your recycling out of plastic bags and place your recyclables in your bin loose.

• Soft plastics like bread and pasta bags – go into the rubbish bin. Do the scrunch test – if you can scrunch the plastics in your hand, they don’t go in the recycling bin.
• Polystyrene packaging – goes into the rubbish bin.
• Clothing and shoes – can be donated to a second hand clothing store, or dropped off at our Recycling Centre, otherwise they belong in the rubbish bin.
• Food waste – can go in your compost bin or worm farm (if you have one), or in the rubbish bin.

As well as following these simple rules, you can also use our updated A-Z Waste and Recycling Guide to find where to recycle or dispose of items properly in Yarra. Get to know your recycling because what you do makes a difference.

You can also check out our Zero Waste Map to find all the places in Yarra that are committed to reducing waste and helping you recycle, repair or reuse things that are broken or that you no longer need.