A to Z Waste and Recycling Guide
This A to Z Waste and Recycling Guide shares ways to recycle or dispose of common items, including items that can't go in household bins.
What we can and can’t recycle changes over time, as this is driven by the market for recycled materials. This guide is based on the best available information.
If you are still unsure what to do with an item after using this guide, ask us by taking a photo of your item and sending it to us via the below ‘Can I Recycle This’ button. Our Waste team will do the investigating for you!
A | |
| Aerosol cans (empty) |
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| Aluminium drink cans |
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| Aluminium foil (scrunched) |
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| Aluminium foil trays |
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| Appliances – Electrical | Electrical appliances include:
Options for unwanted electrical items:
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| Asbestos | |
B | |
| Baby goods |
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| Bamboo, palm fronds and ivy |
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| Batteries - Car batteries |
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| Batteries - Household batteries | Put clear sticky tape over battery ends to prevent sparking and reduce fire risk prior to storing and disposing Disposal options:
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| Berry punnets |
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| Bikes | |
| Bike tyres and tubes |
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| Biscuit trays |
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| Blenders |
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| Books |
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| Bricks |
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C | |
| Cake tins and oven trays |
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| Cameras |
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| Cans and tins - aluminium or steel | Cans and tins - aluminium or steel
Disposal options:
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| Car batteries |
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| Car parts (small) |
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| Cardboard boxes and paper (dismantled) |
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| Cardboard from toilet paper and paper towel rolls |
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| Car parts (small) |
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| Carpet and carpet underlay |
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| CD and DVD players |
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| CDs, DVDs and their cases | |
| Cellophane |
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| Chemicals - Household |
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| Christmas trees - plastic/wooden |
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| Christmas trees (real ones) |
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| Cigarette butts and lighters (empty) |
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| Cling wrap |
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| Clothing and shoes |
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| Coffee pods |
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| Compostable plastics (bioplastics), including food packaging |
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| Computers, computer parts and accessories |
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| Concrete |
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| Corks |
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| Cosmetics and make up |
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| Cotton wool and balls and buds |
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| Crockery and cutlery | Crockery and cutlery include:
Disposal options:
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| Curtains |
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| Cutlery |
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D | |
| Dirt and soil |
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| Donate, sell or give away |
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| Doors |
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| Drink cartons (Tetrapaks, milk and juice cartons) |
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| DVD and CD players |
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| DVDs, CDs and their cases | |
E | |
| Egg cartons |
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| Envelopes (including those with plastic window) |
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| E-waste (electrical or electronic waste) | E-waste is anything which includes a plug, cord or battery, including the following:
Protect your personal information by securely and permanently wiping any data from mobile phones, computers and other devices prior to disposal. Disposal options:
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| Eyeglasses and frames |
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F | |
| Fire extinguishes |
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| Foam meat, fruit and vegetable trays |
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| Food containers |
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| Food packaging |
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| Food scraps and/or garden clippings |
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| Food scraps and uneaten leftovers (no garden waste) |
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| Fridges and freezers | |
| Fridge shelves and crisper draws |
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| Furniture |
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G | |
| Garden equipment, tools and materials (e.g. gardening gloves, garden hoses) |
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| Gas bottles and canisters - BBQ, butane, nitric oxide |
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| Glass bottles (lids on) |
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| Glass jars (lids on) |
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| Glass cookware (including Pyrex) |
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| Gloves and facemasks - Disposable |
|
H | |
| Hard plastics | Hard plastics include most rigid plastic items that hold their shape and cannot be scrunched into a ball. Disposal options:
Recycling bin (or Clifton Hill Recycling Centre) for:
|
K | |
| Kettle |
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| Kitty litter and animal droppings (bagged) |
|
L | |
| Library E-Waste Recycling Hub | Yarra’s library e-waste recycling hubs are for small e-waste only. Accepted items include:
E-waste hubs can be found at any Yarra library: |
| Lids | Metal lids:
Plastic lids:
|
| Light bulbs and tubes |
|
M | |
| Manchester - Sheets, towels, pillowcases and doona covers |
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| Mattresses |
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| Medicines (unwanted/expired) |
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| Metal lids from bottles and jars |
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| Milk, juice, soy milk and stock cartons |
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| Mirrors |
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| Mobile phones and accessories | Follow Mobilemuster instructions to remove your data. Options for unwanted mobile phones and accessories include:
|
N | |
| Nail polish |
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| Nappies and incontinence aids - disposable |
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| Nappies - reusable, clean |
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| Newspaper, magazines and junk mail |
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O | |
| Office paper |
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| Oil - cooking oil and engine oil (lids secured) |
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| Ovens and stoves | |
P | |
| Paint (lids secured) | Please ensure paint is in its original tin/container and the lid is secured prior to disposal. Disposal options:
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| Pens, markers and some other school supplies | |
| Perfume bottles |
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| Pet beds and other pet products |
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| Photographs |
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| Pizza boxes (empty) |
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| Plant pots |
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| Plasterboard |
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| Plastic beverage bottles marked with 10¢ refund logo | Eligible drink containers include:
Where to return:
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| Plastic bottles labelled 1 (lids on) | Plastic bottles are plastic containers with a neck that are designed to hold liquids.
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| Plastic containers, bottles and other items labelled 2 or 5 (lids on) | Examples include empty detergent bottles, dip containers, ice-cream containers, margarine tubs, milk bottles plant pots, takeaway containers and yoghurt containers labelled 2 or 5.
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| Plastic lids (loose) |
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| Plastic - hard | Hard plastics include most rigid plastic items that hold their shape and cannot be scrunched into a ball. Disposal options:
Recycling bin (or Clifton Hill Recycling Centre) for:
|
| Plastic – soft and scrunchable | Soft plastics include:
Disposal options:
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| Plastic strapping |
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| Plastic tubes |
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| Polystyrene |
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| Power tools |
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| Printers |
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| Printer ink cartridges |
|
R | |
| Receipts on thermal paper |
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| Rubble and stones |
|
S | |
| Scrap metal and wire |
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| Sheets, pillowcases and doona covers |
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| Shredded paper (enclosed in paper envelope or box) |
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| Sinks, basins and toilets | |
| Smoke detectors (batteries removed, do not dismantle) |
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| Soft scrunchable plastics | Soft plastics include:
Disposal options:
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| Stereo equipment |
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| Syringes | |
T | |
| Tea bags |
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| Timber and wood |
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| Tissues and wet wipes |
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| Towels |
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| Tree stumps |
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| Trigger, spray and pump lids |
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| TVs |
|
V | |
| Vacuum cleaner |
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| Vacuum cleaner dust (bagged or wrapped) |
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| Vapes |
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| Vases |
|
W | |
| Washing machines and dryers | |
| Water heaters | |
| Weeds |
|
| White goods | White goods include:
Options for unwanted white goods include:
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| Windows glass |
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| Wrapping paper (ribbons and bows removed) |
|
X | |
| X-rays and film |
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For other disposal options, visit Planet Ark’s Recycling Near You.
What to put in your bins
Information about what can go in each bin, communal food organics drop-off hubs, our bin posters and stickers and answers to frequently asked questions.
Recycling drop-off centres
Yarra has recycling drop-off centres in Clifton Hill and Burnley.
Waste transfer stations
Where to take items not accepted in our hard rubbish collection service or at our recycling drop-off centres.