What happens to my waste?

The contents of over 65,000 kerbside yellow lid recycling bins are collected from the Cairns region and delivered to the Materials Recovery Facility in Portsmith. Items are then transported to specialised recycling facilities for processing into new materials.

Did you know that Cairns households place 90% correct items in recycling bins, visit our Know Before You Throw page or use our new Recycle Mate tool to learn ‘what belongs in what’ bin.

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Located in Portsmith, the Cairns 'MRF' is a state of the art facility that processes commingled recyclable materials, from yellow lid bins across the region.  It uses a combination of hand sorting, specialised screening equipment and optical sorting to remove waste then sort and bale paper, cardboard, plastic bottles & containers ready for transportation for further reprocessing by manufacturers in South East Queensland. The Facility also incorporates a glass crushing plant which creates a sand substitute for use in local construction projects from glass bottles & jars.  To learn more about Council's recycled glass product, download the Crushed Glass Factsheet ( PDF, 1.44 MB ).

The MRF is also the home of a dedicated Resource Recovery Education room known as the Rediscovery Centre – offering a bird’s-eye view of the processing plant, which is complemented by the use of cameras inside the machinery to see up-close how the facility works. Visit our Waste Education page for bookings and more information.

View the video below to learn more about how the Materials Recovery Facility works. Council also offers regional schools and community groups free tours of its Resource Recovery Facilities via the Waste Education program.  View Council's Waste Education Page for further information.

The contents of more than 70,000 red and green-lid kerbside waste bins are collected from households across the Cairns region and delivered to the Portsmith Residual Waste Transfer Facility. Here, materials are consolidated and transported to landfill on the Atherton Tablelands.

Since January 2025, the Portsmith site has operated as a bulk waste transfer facility, following a transition from the former composting facility after a fire linked to hazardous materials caused the facility to stop operating.

Council is always looking for new ways to recover resources and reduce landfill. Residents can help by recycling correctly at home, work and school.  Did you know around 15% of household waste in Cairns could have been recycled in the yellow-lid bin?
Visit our Know Before You Throw page or use our useful Recycle Mate tool to see what belongs in each bin.

More than just a stepping stone in the journey of waste, transfer stations play a vital role in assisting in the reduction of waste to landfill, by providing residents of the Cairns region with 4 facilities where they can drop off recyclables, reusable materials and general waste for processing.

Portsmith, Smithfield, Gordonvale and Babinda Transfer Stations process over 40,000 tonnes of self-hauled material annually, recovering as much as 72% of material for recycling recovery and reuse.

Items taken to transfer stations by residents include: oils, paints (spray paint cans), gas bottles, fire extinguishers, tyres, medical waste, batteries, smoke detectors, green waste, general household waste and unused household furnishings. Items that are non-recyclable are processed in the Advanced Resource Recovery Facility (ARRF) and are sent to landfill.

Did you know that many common household items can be dropped off for free at Council’s transfer Stations? Visit the Free Waste Drop off or Council’s Waste Transfer Stations for further information.