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Yellow-lidded bins don’t do donuts, clothes or plastic bags and you’ve gotta keep it loose when you put it in the recycling bin.
Cleanaway, the company that collects our kerbside waste, is continuing its education process in conjunction with the City of Whyalla for our three bins … red, yellow and green.
Listed below is what can and can’t go in the yellow-lidded bin and there are a couple of key basic rules when it comes to recycling using the yellow bin:
NO FOOD: You can’t put any food matter in the yellow bin. It contaminates the recycling process, wastes a lot of time and ends up in landfill anyway.
NO CLOTHES: All clothes, shoes, towels, fabrics and nappies can’t be recycled in the yellow bin process, there are plenty of charities who welcome good, clean clothes.
NO PLASTIC BAGS: Cans, bottles and clean plastic containers are great for recycling but don’t use a plastic bag to put them in the yellow bin. Keep them loose.
Knowing how to recycle correctly using your recycling bin at home, in public places or at work helps increase the amount of material that can be recycled.
If you place waste and recycling items in the wrong bin, it causes ‘contamination’. High levels of contamination means materials are not recycled and are instead sent to landfill.
QUICK TIPS
- Never put your recycling in plastic bags – place loose recyclables straight into your recycling bin
- Read any bin stickers, flyers and signs on or around your bins to make sure you place materials in the right bins
- Make sure recyclable items are not heavily contaminated with food, liquids or hazardous materials
- Fold cardboard boxes down flat to fit more in your bin
- Clean your takeaway food containers to enable them to be recycled
- Empty food tins can be recycled if they are cleaned
- Take the lids off bottles and empty out any residual liquid
- You can recycle empty aerosols like deodorants and air fresheners
- If you are unsure, ring Council on 8640 3444, Cleanaway on 1300 559 206 or the Recycle Right Hotline 1300 137 118 or go to www.whyalla.sa.gov.au or www.recycleright.sa.gov.au
STUFF YOU CAN’T PUT IN THE YELLOW BIN
- Plastic bags
- Food
- Nappies
- Polystyrene foam
- Syringes and sharps
- Clothes, shoes, towels and fabric
- Toys
- Garden waste and dirt
- Electronics (e-waste) – computers, phones, radios, headphones
- Batteries and car parts
- Waxed cardboard
- Broken crockery and tableware
- Cooking oil, chemicals, paints and liquids
TIPS ON RECYLING
Some things that you can’t put in your standard recycling bin can still be recycled, reduced or reused through other means:
- Plastic bags can often be recycled at local supermarkets
- Items such as mobile phones, printer cartridges and other electronic waste can be recycled at select retailers
- Clothes, shoes and toys can be taken to your local charity bin or shop
- Buy in bulk – by choosing products with less packaging you can help reduce waste
- Reusable shopping bags can be used to avoid plastic bags
- Use rechargeable batteries in household items
- Put your kitchen scraps in the green organic bin or use a worm farm
- Reuse scrap paper as notepaper
- Only print items when absolutely necessary and use double sided printing
- Choose recycled products, products with recycled content and products that can be recycled after use
If you are unsure on any of the above, ring Council on 8640 3444, Cleanaway on 1300 559 206 or the Recycle Right Hotline 1300 137 118 or go to www.whyalla.sa.gov.au or www.recycleright.sa.gov.au
