National Recycling Week (13 to 19 November) is run by Planet Ark every year and is a great time to help us rethink what is and isn’t waste.

In 2022-23, over 60,000 tonnes of material were collected from kerbside bins in Boroondara. Out of this, 44,000 tonnes were diverted from landfill for recycling or repurposing.

Recycling is a simple way to help look after our environment, send less waste to landfill and keep material in circulation for longer.

Events

This year’s theme is ‘what goes around comes around’. Whether it’s food scraps, clothing, furniture, or plastic, check out our free, local events below to learn how you can reduce, repurpose or recycle your items.

• Shop second-hand with skill and confidence
• Boroondara Repair and Reuse Community Day
• Sustainable gift wrapping - family friendly and 16 years and over sessions available
• Boroondara Repair and Reuse Community Day
• Reusable Nappy Workshop – Jack Dyer Pavilion.

Recycling myth busters 

Unsure what can and can’t go in your recycling bin? The good news is, you can recycle a lot more than you think!

While the items that recycling centres can accept can vary across Melbourne, we’ve answered some of the most common questions to help you recycle right in Boroondara.

• Leave labels on: these will be removed during the recycling process.
• No rinsing is needed: all recyclables get a thorough wash at the recycling facility – simply remove as much food residue as possible.
• Never bag your recyclables: bagged recyclables can’t be processed at the recycling facility. Always put your recyclables in loose.
• Leave lids on: lids are too small to be processed separately, so leave them on their original bottle or container. This includes metal lids and plastic pumps.
• Aerosol cans: cans are accepted and can go in the recycling bin if they’re completely empty.
• Aluminium foil: scrunch into a loose ball and place in the recycling bin.
• Plastic sushi and biscuit trays: these are accepted and can go in the recycling bin.
• Not all glass is recyclable: drinking and window glass melt at different temperatures than food grade glass bottles and jars and should be safely disposed of in your red-lidded general waste bin.

How to reuse and recycle unwanted items

While e-waste, metals, and mattresses can be recovered and recycled, other large items mostly end up in landfill.

There are lots of ways you can reuse items in the home or in the community. Before throwing something away, see if you can give your unwanted items a second life by:

• donating your goods to a local op shop or Sacred Heart Mission’s Free Collection Service, which helps raise funds to provide services to people experiencing homelessness, disadvantage and social isolation
• checking if your family, friends or neighbours can give your items a new home
• donating your bike to non-for-profit retailer, Brainwave Bikes, which accepts bikes in any size or condition as long as the frame isn’t cracked, bent, or extremely rusted. All proceeds from their refurbished bikes go to Brainwave Australia, a charity that supports families and children with brain illnesses and injuries.
• posting them as a listing on local Facebook group pages and free online marketplace websites.
• holding a garage sale.

For whitegoods, e-waste, mattresses and other furniture items which cannot be donated or sold, book a hard waste collection online and our team will collect your items. You can find out how to book on our Hard waste collection page.

Drop-off your excess recycling

If you have a recycling bin that is too full before collection day or have large items that don’t fit in the kerbside recycling bin, you can drop them off at the Kew Depot Recycling Drop-off Centre and Boroondara Recycling and Waste Centre.

We have friendly, on-site attendants who are here to help you sort through items that are accepted in your yellow-lid recycling bin for free, including:

• flattened cardboard boxes and excess cardboard packaging
• paper
• plastic bottles (lids, pumps and labels can be left on)
• hard plastic trays and containers (does not include reusable food storage containers like Tupperware)
• glass bottles and jars (lids and labels can be left on)
• aluminium and steel cans.

If you have other items that you want to recycle or dispose of, you can find out how and where to donate, recycle, or dispose of your household items using our A to Z recycling and waste guide.