What can I recycle?

We want to get our contamination rate of recycling bins down to zero and reduce how much waste is going to landfill.

Image of loose recycling items being placed in kerbside recycling bin

What can I recycle?

You can recycle:

  • Plastic bottles and containers from your kitchen, bathroom and laundry.
  • Clean paper and cardboard. 
  • Aluminium and steel cans.

Glass cannot be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycling bin. Please take your glass to one of our Pass on Glass sites or place it in your rubbish bin.

 

Image of empty clear plastic containers for recycling Image of empty aluminium containers for recycling Image of empty plastic coloured containers for recycling

Image of empty cardboard boxes, paper, and newspapers for recycling Image of empty plastic dairy containers for recycling

 

What can go in my recycling bin?

You can place these items in your recycling bin:

  • Aerosol cans
  • Aluminium foil (clean of food)
  • Cans, tin and aluminium (empty and clean)
  • Cardboard
  • Deodorant cans and bottles (empty)
  • Egg cartons
  • Envelopes (no window)
  • Envelopes (with window; plastic window removed)
  • Fruit punnets (clear plastic)
  • Greeting cards
  • Ice cream containers (empty)
  • Juice bottles (plastic, with no handle)
  • Magazines
  • Margarine containers (clean))
  • Milk bottles (plastic #2), lids removed and placed into your rubbish bin
  • Newspaper
  • Office paper
  • Plastic containers (rigid plastic)
  • Pizza boxes (clean of food and oils)
  • Sauce bottles (plastic, empty)
  • Shampoo and conditioner bottles (empty)
  • Takeaway plastic containers (plastic, clean)
  • Telephone books
  • Tissue boxes with plastic removed
  • Toilet rolls (empty)
  • Wrapping paper
  • Yoghurt containers (clean)

What plastics can go in my recycling bin?

Plastic number

Ballarat yellow recycling bin (lids removed and placed into your rubbish bin)

PET (#1)

  • Soft drink bottles
  • Juice bottles
  • Clear berry punnets
  • Detergent bottles
  • Soap pump bottles
  • Dip containers (clean)
  • Spread containers (clean)

HDPE (#2)

  • Milk bottles
  • Laundry powder bottles
  • Coloured bottles
  • Sauce bottles
  • Shampoo, conditioner and body wash bottles

PP (#5)

  • Ice cream containers
  • Yoghurt containers
  • Margarine containers
  • Take away food containers (clean)

How can recycling help?

By knowing what to recycle we can all:

  • reduce recycled items going to landfill
  • reduce costs to council and all ratepayers
  • avoid contamination charges
  • help the environment.

Helpful tips

Simple habits can make the recycling more efficient and sustainable.

In Ballarat it is best to prepare recyclables by:

  • Rinsing recyclable containers.
  • Breaking up or flattening small cardboard boxes.
  • Keeping recycling loose: don’t place your recyclables in plastic bags.
  • Keeping plastic bags out of your recycling bin. Due to the pause of the REDcycle program, residents will need to place their soft plastics in their general household waste. Please note: Soft plastics are unable to be recycled via the yellow-lid mixed recyclables bin.
  • Taking your glass to our pass on glass sites and keeping glass out of your recycling bin.
  • Only placing plastics from your bathroom, kitchen and laundry in your recycling bin.

Sustainability Victoria has tips on how to reduce waste at home.

Emma from our waste team has some tips on how to reduce supermarket waste in the video below.