Check it before you chuck it: Think beyond your bin

ABOVE: Dropping off used household batteries for recycling at one of council’s Community Recycling Stations. Photo: Contributed

It’s National Recycling Week and there are simple everyday actions you can take to make this world a better place.

It is the 27th National Recycling Week from November 7–13.

The week is about thinking beyond the bin. And when you use the bin, be aware of what can be recycled.

North East Waste education coordinator Linda Tohver said the Northern Rivers was tracking well above the state average, with a 59% recovery rate from our kerbside recycling and organics bins.

“It’s also becoming even easier to recycle more than just the usual paper, cardboard, glass, hard plastics, and steel and aluminium cans that belong in our yellow-lid recycling bin,” Ms Tohver said.

The Australasian Recycling Label Program has made identifying which household products can go in which bin easier for householders. Keep an eye out for the instruction labels on common household items (e.g. meat trays and cheese containers) that shows which bin each component of the packaging can go into as well as where recycling can occur in-store.

Our top tips for recycling beyond your kerbside bin:

• Return and Earn –accepts drink containers such as cans, beer and mixer bottles, cartons, juice boxes and poppers. In 2023 this will expand to bigger soft drink and juice bottles and wine bottles. 

• Household and car batteries, paints, oils, gas bottles and fluoro globes and tubes and smoke detectors are accepted for free at any of the North Coast’s network of eight Community Recycling Centres. To find the nearest one to you visit here or contact your council.

• Various take- back schemes through Terracycle.com are now in place for a variety of beauty, self-care and dental products.

• For small quantities of some problem wastes, such as household batteries and mobile phones, residents can use the region’s network of free Community Recycling Stations, installed by Councils and North East Waste. They can be found at various  locations across the region including council admin offices, libraries and community centres.  To find out more, visit here or contact your council.

• Most household batteries can also be recycled at B-cycle drop off points available at participating retailers including Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Bunnings and Battery World.