Soft plastics
We're collecting a limited amount of soft plastics (maximum 5 shopping bags per drop off). These soft plastics are taken to Australian Paper Recovery (APR). They are made into oil for the manufacture of food grade plastic products and gas which powers the processing machine. Please only include clean and empty soft plastics, such as supermarket checkout bags, compostable bags, sandwich bags, postal bags, shrink wrap, pasta/rice/bread/biscuit outer bags, frozen food packets, bubble wrap and plastic pockets. Don't include soft plastics with any food residue or anything with a metallised ('foil-look') lining.
• Aerosol Cans 
  Empty aerosol cans only. Aerosol cans are recycled in the metal and steel stream and are sent to Norstar Steel Recyclers.
• Baby Goods
  We have partnered with St Kilda Mums to trial a donations drop-off point at the Clifton Hill Recycling Centre. Yarra families are invited to drop off their quality items for babies and children. These will be collected by St Kilda Mums, who will give your donations to families in need. 
• Batteries (household)
  Used batteries are sent to Envirostream Australia, the first on-shore mixed battery recycling company in Australia.
  They use Environstream technology to separate and recovers the steel, copper, aluminium which is returned to the manufacturing sector and, produces a Mixed Metal Dust (MMD), our primary material. The MMD is used as an input material in the manufacture of cathode materials for new batteries.
• Batteries (car)
  Household quantities only.
  Car batteries are sent to Ariel Batteries where they're separated into different components. The lead is separated from the polypropylene (plastic case) and melted down in a furnace, and used to manufacture new batteries. The plastic case is washed and recycled. The acid is treated and neutralised. New car batteries are typically made with up to 80% recycled materials.
• Bike tyres and tubes
  All bike tyres and tubes collected are recycled at Tyrecycle at their processing facility at Somerton.
  100% of the rubber is recycled into either a rubber granule or a finer material called rubber crumb. The crumb and the granule are then made into a range of products including athletics tracks, playground and non-slip matting surfaces, building insulation, road construction, and new tyre manufacturing.
• Books
  We have a free book exchange for residents to drop off and take books.
• Cameras and photographic equipment
  Collected cameras and equipment are sent to Norstar Steel Recyclers. After processing, recycled metal is sold as a raw material to local and international end users. 
• Cardboard
  Clean and dry cardboard only. Cardboard is sent to Australian Paper Recovery for sorting. It then goes onto local Victorian industry to make apple packing and egg boxes. 
• Clothing
  We have various charity bins for residents to donate clothes and accessories that are still wearable.
• Comingled or mixed recycling (yellow-lidded bin)
  Items we accept in the yellow-lidded recycling bin can also be brought to our recycling drop-off centre:
  
  • Paper and flattened cardboard
  • Egg cartons
  • Newspaper, books, junk mail and magazines
  • Aluminium and steel cans
  • Aluminium foil
  • Metal lids from bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles labelled 1 and 2 (clean, empty, no lids) 
  • Plastic food packaging labelled 5 only e.g. ice cream containers, yoghurt and butter tubs, meat trays 
  Please separate these items into different groups at the drop-off centre so they're ready to be recycled. Collected materials are transported to a recovery facility and sold to local markets for recycling in Australia.
• Computer waste
  Maximum 20kg per drop off.
  Including: desktops, laptops, computer mice, monitors, printers, disk and CD drives and other computer parts.
  Computer waste is sent to Tech Collect and broken down into separate materials. They are recycled into things such as key boards, garden equipment, glass bottles, windows, car bodies, copper tubes and jewelry.
• Electrical equipment
  Maximum 20kg per drop off.
  Including: stereo equipment, CD players, DVD and VCR recorders, kettles, toasters, blenders and any other electrical items with a cord. We do not accept large white goods such as fridges and washing machines.
  Electrical equipment is sent to Norstar Steel Recyclers. After processing, recycled metal is sold as a raw material to local and international end users. 
• Gas bottles 
  Gas bottles are recycled by Cyl-Safe, a Work Safe approved company that decommissions cylinders making them safe and ready for melting the metal and recycling it into new products.
• Glass jars and bottles
  Clean and empty, with no lids.
  Good quality glass is sent to Visy Glass for recycling back into new glass bottles and jars for use by local brewing and food manufacturing industry.
  Lower quality glass which cannot be made into new glass bottles and jars, is sent to the Alex Fraser Group to be used as a sand replacement for road resurfacing and other construction projects throughout Victoria.
• Light bulbs
  The mercury is removed and the remaining glass goes to landfill.
• Metal and steel
  All metal and steel is sent to Norstar Steel Recyclers. It's broken down through a variety of methods, including sorting, shredding, shearing, oxy cutting, baling and compacting. After processing, the recycled metal is sold as a raw material to local and international end users. 
• Mobile phones and accessories
  Mobile phones and accessories are sent to Mobile Muster here in Melbourne where they are sorted and disassembled into components: batteries, printed circuit boards, casing, screens, accessories and packaging. 
  • Glass is melted, crushed and used to produce new glass products or as a replacement material in road base and construction
  • Aluminium is melted in a furnace and the liquid aluminium is then placed in moulds to create new aluminium products
  • Precious metals including gold, silver, palladium, platinum and copper are separated, extracted and processed to be reused again
  • Lithium batteries are processed to recover valuable materials including steel and a mixed metal compound of graphene, nickel, cobalt and lithium that can be used to make new batteries
  • Plastic is processed into pellets and turned into new products like pallets
• Oil and solvents
  Maximum 5L in containers with secured lids per drop-off. We accept up to 5L of cooking oil, engine oil, and solvents.
• Paint
  Accepted paint products only. Maximum 5x20 litre containers per drop-off. Lids must be secured. Collected paint containers are sent to Paintback and the packaging and waste liquid are separated. The containers are recycled and the waste paint is used to recover energy for solvent and liquid/solid separation for water-based paint.
• Plastic – hard
  Hard plastic that holds its shape, e.g. garden pots, storage container, buckets, laundry baskets, wheelie bins, household bins, compost bins, bread and milk crates, toy sandpits/swimming pools, blue and black electric cable reels, truck mudguards/car bumper bars, corflute.
  These hard plastics are sent to GT Recycling for processing into plastic pellets that go into bins, buckets, pots and garden edging. 
• Polystyrene
  Household quantities only.
  Using a special thermal compaction unit, expanded polystyrene is processed at our recycling drop-off facility into moulded compacted polystyrene product reducing the overall volume by 90%.
  This saves costs associated with transporting large volumes of low weight material, making it viable to collect for recycling.
  Compacted polystyrene is sent to IS Recycling who then export to a pelletizing facility. These pellets are then used to manufacture a range of products including construction materials, flooring and picture frames. 
• Printer and toner cartridges
  Printers and cartridges are broken down into components to be made into something new. The plastic is sent to a processing plant where it is melted down and incorporated into a wide range of products e.g. ink cartridges, pens, mouse mats, disposable cups and pencil cases. 
  The remaining toner in the cartridge is used in an innovative paving product called TonerPave. The metal parts are also processed and used again.
  Any other remaining parts are processed together and used to create eWood, a synthetic timber which can be used just as natural wood can for a range of projects such as furniture, sheds and fencing products.
• Televisions
  Maximum 20kg per drop off.
  Televisions are sent to Tech Collect and broken down into separate materials eg glass, steel, plastic. They are then recycled into things such as new TV, IT equipment.
• X-rays and film 
  Collected x-rays and film are sent to MD Recovery. They are incinerated and all patient and confidential information is destroyed. Silver is then recovered from the ash residue. 

Please note we can't accept white goods at our recycling drop-off centres.

Residents can get free mulch from the Clifton Hill recycling drop-off centre.

The availability, amount and type will vary.

Yarra residents can book two free hard rubbish and unlimited green waste collections.

If you have other materials that you wish to dispose of, you can go to a public transfer station. Yarra does not have a transfer station but there are waste transfer stations located outside of Yarra.