Your Recycling Bin
You can use your yellow lid bin for:
- Aluminium and steel cans
- Aluminium foil trays/pie dishes
- Aluminium foil that has been scrunched into a ball the size of a golf ball or larger, but no foil packets (such as chip packets)
- Glass bottles and jars (lids unscrewed)
- Hard plastic bottles and containers, such as, soft drink, shampoo and detergent bottles; icecream, yoghurt and takeaway containers; biscuit, cake and meat trays (no foam trays)
- Fresh and longlife milk and juice cartons
- Paper, such as newspapers, magazines and letters
- Flattened cardboard boxes and packaging, including empty pizza boxes (no food traces)
Don't place these items in your yellow lid bin:
- Soft plastics, such as bread bags, cling wrap and frozen food packaging
- Clothing and linen
- Kitchen crockery and glassware, including drinking tumblers, wine glasses and toughened glass (such as Pyrex)
- Mirrors, window/windscreen glass and light bulbs
- Any metal that isn't a food or drink container
- Takeaway coffee cups
- Polystrene (EPS foam)
- Appliances and electronic waste (e-waste)
- Batteries
- Nappies, sanitary items and incontinence products
- Sharps and medicines, such as syringes and expired medications
- Food waste (use your red lid bin)
- Garden waste, such as leaves, grass clippings, twigs and prunings (use your green lid bin).
Recycling hints and tips
- Don't bag your recycling. Recyclables in plastic bags can't be sorted at the sorting facility and are sent to landfill.
- Unscrew lids from bottles and jars. Both the lids and the bottles/jars can be placed in your yellow lid bin.
- Make sure your recyclables don't have any food or drink left in them. This can spill out and contaminate other recyclables. A quick rinse or a dunk in the sink after washing up can prevent this, while keeping bin odours at bay.
- Aluminium foil can be recycled if it can be scrunched into a tight ball, ideally the size of tennis balls or larger. If the foil is flat, the machinery at the sorting facility will mistake it for paper and direct it to the wrong area. For this reason, foil packets (such as chip packets) shouldn't be placed in your recycling bin, as they can't retain the shape of a tight ball after scrunching. Handy tip: Setting up a designated container for foil wrappers can help you gather enough to scrunch into balls. Alternatively, you can contain tiny pieces of foil by placing them inside an empty aluminium drink can.
