Recycle Right

Only recycle:

• Hard plastic bottles and containers
• Steel and aluminium cans
• Glass bottles and jars
• Paper and cardboard

Hint: view further information about our waste services.

No soft plastics or wrapping, this includes:

• All plastics bags (bio-degradable or compostable)
• Plastic film
• Chip packets
• Bread bags

Hint: consider the 'poke test'. If you can push your finger through it, then the plastic is too soft to be recycled. Soft, flimsy plastic gets tangled in the sorting machinery, causing expensive damage and extensive delays. Avoid plastic bags altogether by using paper options when shopping, or even better use reusable bags instead.  Don't forget reusable containers and beeswax wrappers can help you avoid cling wrap for school and work lunches.

Don’t place anything smaller than a credit card into your recycling bin, this includes:

• All lids and caps
• Bread tags
• Coffee pods
• Ring pulls

Hint: if the item is too small to go through the sorting equipment, it can get jammed in the machinery and shut down operations for extensive periods of time. Items smaller than a credit card can be placed in your red lid waste bin.

Keep it safe for our Materials Recovery Faciltiy (MRF) workers and machines, which means nothing hazardous that can harm our workers or anything that can damage the machines.

Keep out gas bottles, car batteries, strapping line, hoses, netting, wires, building materials, oil, paint, chemicals and other hazardous materials.

Hint: view further information about materials accepted at Cairns Regional Council transfer stations.

Keep it clean by rinsing or wiping out your containers of any excess food, drink etc.

• No food scraps
• No nappies
• No soiled paper, cardboard
• No general waste

Hint: view our list of correct items for the yellow lid recycling bin.

Place your recyclables loose into your recycling bin.

Don’t bag or box your recyclables.

Hint: have a designated recycling bin in the kitchen and bathroom to keep your recycling loose.