Keep recycling out of waste
Did you know that here in the Cairns region, more than 9,000 tonnes of recyclable material ends up our waste bins each year. Every time we place something recyclable in our waste bin, its recycling journey stops in landfill, forever.
So let's lift the right lid with our recyclables and make sure to keep these resources in use for generations, let's keep recycling out of waste.
Getting Started
We need to keep the following 4 materials out of our Waste Bins and place them in our Yellow Lid Recycling Bins instead.
- Steel & Aluminium Cans
- Hard plastic bottles and containers
- Paper and cardboard
- Glass bottles and jars
Check out our tips below on how to keep recycling out of waste!

Let's lift the right lid on waste and recycling. Because every time we put something recyclable in our waste bin, its recycling journey stops in landfill, forever.
Make sure to keep our resources in use for generations by placing steel and aluminium cans, hard plastic bottles and containers and paper and cardboard in our yellow lid recycling bin and help keep recycling out of waste.
Let’s lift the right lid on waste and recycling, by keeping steel and aluminium cans out of our waste bins and placing them in our yellow lid recycling bins instead. Let’s keep recycling out of waste.
Let’s lift the right lid on waste and recycling, by keeping hard plastic bottles and containers out of our waste bins and placing them in our yellow lid recycling bins instead. Let’s keep recycling out of waste.
Let’s lift the right lid on waste and recycling, by keeping paper and cardboard out of our waste bins and placing them in our yellow lid recycling bins instead. Let’s keep recycling out of waste.
Let’s lift the right lid on waste and recycling, by keeping glass bottles and jars out of our waste bins and placing them in our yellow lid recycling bins instead. Let’s keep recycling out of waste.
To learn more about what belongs in your yellow lid recycling bin visit our recycle right homepage.
You can also look up individual items (to confirm if it belongs in the yellow lid recycling bin or waste bin) with the Recycle Mate app.
What actually happens to waste and recycling in the Cairns region?
Every wondered what happens to waste and recycling after it’s collected? View our ‘What happens to Waste & Recycling in the Cairns Region’ page.
Last Updated: 17 February 2026
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