It’s National Recycling Week, which means there’s no better time to brush up on your bin-sorting skills.

Sorting your waste properly might seem small, but it can make a big difference. Our waste services collected over 57,000 tonnes of kerbside material last financial year, with 70% successfully kept out of landfill through recycling and composting. 

Guidelines can differ across Councils, so here are some handy tips to help you recycle right in Boroondara.

Receipts belong in your household waste bin

Receipts may look like paper, but most are printed on thermal paper containing chemicals that can’t be recycled. Where possible, ask staff if they can send a digital copy to you instead.

Empty pizza boxes can be recycled

Remove any leftover food before putting it in your recycling bin - grease is fine.

Paper towels and tissues go in your green waste (FOGO) bin

These items can’t go in the recycling bin, but they’re great for wrapping food scraps or lining your kitchen caddy. They can also break down naturally into compost.

Don’t recycle shredded paper

Shredded paper is too small to be sorted at recycling facilities. Place it in your FOGO bin, home compost or use it as garden mulch instead.

Not all glass belongs in your recycling bin

Drinking glasses, cookware, Pyrex dishes, vases and perfume bottles are made from toughened glass that melts at a different temperature to jars and bottles. Put these in your household waste bin.

Check your Christmas wrapping paper

Avoid foil, glitter and plastic-coated paper which can’t be recycled. We recommend doing the ‘scrunch test’ - if it stays scrunched, it’s recyclable; if it springs back, it’s not.

Try and choose plain paper or reuse gift bags and boxes instead.

Scrunch aluminium before you bin it

Loose foil can’t be picked up by recycling machines. Before you place it in your recycling bin, scrunch it into a ball about the size of your fist so it gets sorted properly.

A few simple habits can help us keep more recycling and organics out of landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create valuable compost and new items.  

To find out how to dispose of your unwanted items correctly, visit our A to Z guide to recycling and waste in Boroondara.