National Recycling Week

Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week is taking place 10–16 November 2025

This National Recycling Week, we’re encouraging everyone to follow the Waste Hierarchy – a simple guide that puts the best actions first: Reduce, then Reuse, then Recycle. Reducing waste is the most powerful step, because if it’s never created, it never needs managing. Reuse comes next, giving items a second life, and recycling is the last step before landfill.

Did you know that here in Cairns, over 5,000 tonnes of recyclable materials ended up in landfill last year simply because they were placed in the wrong bin? Let’s work together to keep resources in use for longer and cut down on waste sent to landfill.

To help residents avoid sending recyclables to landfill, Council has launched a community education campaign called "Lift the right lid – keep recycling out of waste". The education campaign highlights four simple tips to help the Cairns community make the most of recyclable materials currently being lost to landfill.

How do we get started?

Watch our tips for keeping recycling out of waste.

The following materials do not belong in waste bins, and must instead be placed in recycling:

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

How to recycle right, during National Recycling Week

Council's recycle right campaign is also a great place to start with answering how to recycle right by providing residents with simplified captions, easy-to-follow guides and resources to help keep it simple and put the right thing in the right bin.

Keep an eye on this page for National Recycling Week updates, activities, and chances to get involved.