Recycling

In the meantime, residents are encouraged to only put their recycling bin out when full and to squash and flatten their recycling to fit more in the bin. The Resource Recovery Centre accepts some household recycling, but this must be clean and sorted.

 

As always, we encourage all residents to Recycle Right and consider how you can reduce your waste. Keep an eye on Council’s social media and website for regular updates as they come to hand. We appreciate your support in passing this information to neighbours, relatives and friends who also live in Darebin.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Recycling.

 

Will there be any changes to the collection of my recycling bin?

No, there will not be any changes to the collection of your household recycling bin. Recycling bins are collected on a fortnightly basis.

 

When is my bin collected?

To see when your bin is collected, please view the map here.

Will this affect waste taken to the Resource Recovery Centre?

There will be no impact on waste taken to the Resource Recovery Centre.

Residents can continue to take their clean and sorted households recycling to Darebin Resource Recovery Centre (DRRC). Please ensure you are dropping off recyclables in small, household quantities and that the items are separated into glass, paper and cardboards, plastic and metals. Most of these can be dropped off without a fee, however, if materials are contaminated or mixed in together, a fee may be charged.

 

Why hasn’t Council found an alternative solution?
This issue affects not only councils across Victoria, but also across the country, and it requires a response from all levels of government. We are working with the State and Federal Governments to come up with more sustainable long-term solutions for processing recycling locally.

 

What can I do to avoid my recycling going to landfill?

1. Reduce your waste: Consider how you can minimise waste – be mindful about what you buy and whether you’re purchasing unnecessary packaging. To find out how you can recycle right and reduce your waste, click here.

2. Only put your bin out once it’s full: Squash, squeeze, and flatten your recycling so more fits in your bin, and only put the recycling bin out for collection once it is full.

3. Drop off your recyclables at the Darebin Resource and Recovery centre: Your sorted recycling is accepted free of charge at the gate (domestic quantities). Fees apply at the gate for your general waste, green waste, timber waste, building materials and other items. To view the accepted items and charges click here.

Darebin City Council invites all residents to make the commitment to recycling by taking the Pledge to Recycle Right at home. 

Recycling Right means always putting the right items in the recycling bin, keeping the wrong items out (plastic bags, soft plastic, drinking glasses, polystyrene), and making sure all recycling goes in the bin loosely (no bags!). 

By Recycling Right you’re helping save valuable resources from going to landfill, save energy and protecting our environment. You can read more about the benefits of recycling in our Recycling FAQs.

Be part of Recycle Right by taking the following actions:

1. Take the Pledge and test your knowledge with our Recycle Right quiz.

Click here to take the pledge!

The Recycle Right Pledge competition has now closed and prize winners will be notified by 20 December 2018. Congratulations to all who pledged to Recycle Right and tested their knowledge with the quiz. 

2. Be an expert! Know what you can and can’t recycle. Use our A to Z Waste and Recycling Guide and Recycling Quick Guide poster to learn more about what you can and can’t recycle. Hard copies are available at our Customer Service Centres, or can be mailed on request by calling 8470 8888. Large print is available.

3. Keep up to date with our top recycling tips by liking Council’s Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

4. Watch the video of Cr Le Cerf and local recycling hero Leo discuss the dos and don'ts of recycling.

Still have more questions on recycling? Check our Recycling FAQs, call Customer Service on 8470 8888 or email mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au.

What can go in my recycling bin?

Hard plastic
Items such as milk bottles, soft drink bottles, ice cream and yogurt tubs, takeaway containers, laundry and bathroom bottles, buckets, plant pots, and other items made from hard plastic. To check if plastic is hard, try the scrunch test. If you can scrunch plastic in your hand and it bounces back, it's hard. If you scrunch it and it loses shape, like a plastic bag, it's soft plastic and can't be recycled. Remember, containers should be empty but don't need to be squeaky clean.

Handy Tip: Don't be tricked by the triangle and number stamp on plastic products. These codes (1 -7) are part of the Resin Identification Code, and identify the type of resin the plastic product is made from, not whether it can be recycled. People often confuse the 'resin identification code' for the general recycling symbol (mobius loop), which looks like three chasing arrows. 

Paper and cardboard
Such as office paper, envelopes, pizza boxes, egg cartons, newspaper and magazines.

Cardboard milk and juice cartons.
This material is also called liquid paper board.

Glass bottles and jars
Such as sauce and jam jars and soft drink bottles. However, drinking glasses or other household glass (such as a vase), Pyrex, mirrors, ceramics and crockery must go in the general waste bin.

Aluminium and steel
Items such as cans, tins, aerosol cans, foil trays and aluminium foil (rolled as large as a golf ball). These should be empty, but don't need to be squeaky clean.

Clean pots, pans and other metal cooking dishes
Even with plastic handles (no pot or pan lids). However, the glass lids must go in the general waste bin.

Download the A to Z Waste and Recycling Guide and Recycle Right Quick Guide for a full list of items that are accepted in your household recycling bin.

What can't go in my recycling bin?

• No plastic bags or any soft plastic that can be scrunched into a ball in your hand and lose their shape - no plastic wrap, no bread bags, no pasta packets, no muesli bar wrappers or chip bags. Find out where to recycle soft plastics here.
• No polystyrene (Styrofoam)
• No disposable cups (coffee cups) - the hard plastic lid can go in the recycling bin
• No food scraps or green waste
• No fabric
• No light globes -  these can be recycled at a Darebin Customer Service Centre Recycling Station
• No batteries- these can be recycled at a Darebin Customer Service Centre Recycling Station 
• No electrical goods
• No ceramics, crockery or Pyrex
• No drinking glass or wine glasses
• No mirror
• No nappies
• No smoke detectors - up to 10 household smoke detectors can be disposed of in your household waste bin. For more than 10 smoke detectors, seek advice from the Department of Health
• No general waste

If you are unsure whether an item can be recycled or not, call us on 8470 8888 or email mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au for advice.

Recycling Tips

• Don't bag your recycling, keep it loose! Bagged recycling may not get sorted at the recycling facility. Make sure to place all your recycling in the bin loosely 
• Recycling doesn't need to be squeaky clean. Containers and bottles only need to be scraped free of food and liquid, no need to rinse them clean
• Squeeze, squash and flatten your recycling to fit more in your bin
• Don't put the wrong items in the recycling bin. Only put items that can be recycled in your recycling bin - it may not be collected if there are incorrect items inside

Get it Right on Bin Night
Get It Right On Bin Night is a state-wide project that helps you make some simple changes at home to ensure you’re recycling right. 

• Check for recycling in every room of your house, including the bathroom, loungeroom, laundry and study
• Make sure recyclable items are empty
• Don’t put recycling in plastic bags

 

Other Options for Recycling

Recycling Soft Plastic
You can recycle soft plastics (any plastic items that can be scrunched into a ball in your hand) by dropping them off at a REDcycle collection point at participating supermarkets . The soft plastics collected by REDcycle are recycled into new products for schools and communities. Visit the REDcycle website for a full list of what can be collected and to search for your nearest drop-off point.

Many other supermarkets also have recycling bins for single-use plastic shopping bags. Visit the Recycling Near You website to find your nearest drop-off point.

Darebin's Community Recycling Stations
Our community recycling stations are located at each Customer Service Centre and Bundoora Park Visitor's Centre. They accept household quantities of:

• Household batteries (please tape all 9V and 6V batteries at the terminals, small cell batteries should be wrapped in tape before being placed inside the station)
• Light globes and compact fluorescent tubes (CFLs)
• X-rays
• Cameras and accessories (remember to wipe your data)
• Mobile phones and accessories (remember to wipe your data)
• DVDs, CDs and video tapes

We are no longer accepting corks and ring pulls in the community recycling stations. Ring pulls can be left on aluminium cans and placed in your recycling bin. There is currently no recycling option for cork in Australia. However they can be reused for craft purposes, as garden mulch or can be placed in a compost bin (not your green waste bin).

 If you have large quantities of the above items, please visit the Darebin Resource Recovery Centre. Fees may apply.

If you have commercial quantities of the above items, please visit Planet Ark's Business Recycling website for options.

Darebin Resource Recovery Centre
The Darebin Resource Recovery Centre accepts many household items for free recycling.

Recycling Near You
Detailed options for recycling can be found at Recycling Near You or by calling the Recycling Hotline on 1300 733 712 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm EST).

Even more recycling options
These organisations may be able to help you recycle your unwanted goods:

• Ziilch: Simple online recycling of unwanted goods
• The Sharehood: Helps you share resources within your neighbourhood
• Freecycle: A non-profit portal for exchanging unwanted goods for free
• Ozrecycle: Another way to give and get things for free instead of sending them to landfill

Find out if you live in the East or West collection zone by checking the map below, or downloading the Which Recycling Zone Do I Live In? map. You can also find your collection zone and next collection date by searching your address in the Recycling Map website.

Recycling Calendar
Download the 2019 Recycling Calendar for all the information you need to keep track of your recycling and green waste collection dates:

• 2019 East Zone Recycling Calendar
• 2019 West Zone Recycling Calendar

Printed calendars are also available from our Customer Service Centres, or you can call 8470 8888 to have one posted to you.

Christmas and Public Holiday Collections
Bins are not collected on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, or Anzac Day public holidays. Bins will be collected the following day.

On bin night, make sure you:

• Put your bin out before 5am on your collection day
• Put your bin on the nature strip at least half a metre from other bins, cars or obstructions (where possible)
• Ensure that your bin lid is closed, with no rubbish beside or on top of it
• Face your bin opening towards the road
• Remove your bin from the nature strip within 24 hours of collection

What is Included in the Business Recycling Service?
Businesses operating from a business rated property can obtain up to two 240 litre yellow lidded recycling bins, collected fortnightly as part of our Business Recycling Service.

There is a one off fee of $98.40 (GST exempt) per bin. Maximum of two bins allowed per business.

Businesses operating from a residential rated property are not eligible for the Business Recycling Service.

How Do I Order a Business Recycle Bin?

1. Complete the Business Recycling Application Online Form or complete the form in-person at our Customer Service Centres (along with your payment).
2. Make the payment via a credit card.

* Fees and charges may change. Participating businesses will be kept informed of any changes.

If you are a not-for-profit organisation, you may be eligible for a fee reduction or waiver at Council’s discretion.

To apply:

1. Complete the not-for-profit organisation Fee Waiver Application Form
2. Return the form to any Customer Service Centre or by email to: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au.

For information about what you can put in your business recycling bin and your collection days, please refer to the Recycling section of the Recycling and Green Waste page.

What is happening with recycling?
China has announced that it is no longer accepting some recyclable items. China is doing this to ensure that it receives a cleaner, higher-quality product, which means it is uncontaminated by incorrect items. This is impacting on the global recycling industry, including Australia and Victoria.

At this point in time, Council’s recycling collections remain unaffected. Please keep using your recycling bin correctly – separating your recyclables from other waste and try to avoid creating waste where you can.

It is now more important than ever before that we are recycling right and minimising our waste.

While everything remains the same for Council at the moment, the impact of China’s decision to stop importing low-quality recyclable materials being felt worldwide.  Recycling processors globally will now be flooded with requests from countries around the world, wanting to find another destination for recyclable materials.  It is now vital that our recycling is separated properly from household waste, in order to be the best possible quality so it is attractive to alternative recycling processors.

Council will continue to keep you informed of any changes to Council’s recycling collections.

What is being done by Council and others?
Council is and will continue working with our recycling processor, peak bodies and government to ensure Council’s recycling continues as normal. In July 2018 the Victorian government launched a $37 million dollar plan to improve recycling infrastructure, expand markets for recycled materials and provide a public education program to help Victorians recycle effectively. 

What can I do to help?
Darebin residents and businesses are good recyclers, but there is still room for us to do better.
Residents and businesses do to the following to help:
• Prevent waste – Buy only what you need and avoid excess packaging
• Continue to recycle as normal –  Recycle Right - carefully separate your recyclables from your waste and place them in the right bin
• Learn more about what you can and can’t recycle – see our handy guide A to Z Waste and Recycling Guide and Quick Guide and remember – keep your recycling loose – no plastic bags in recycling bins 
• Buy Australian products with recyclable content – support more local recycling industries

This page will be updated with any changes to Darebin’s recycling service. For more information on recycling please call Council on 8470 8888.

For more information on what the state government is doing regarding recycling, please see Sustainability Victoria’s website.