Recycling At Home Made Easy: How To Recycle Just About Anything - Hello Charlie

How to Recycle Almost Anything in Australia

April 11 2022, by Hello Charlie Blogs, 3 min reading time

Recycling at home gets easier once you stop asking “is this material recyclable?” and start asking “is this item accepted by my local service?” Australia does not yet have one identical kerbside system, so council instructions and the Australasian Recycling Label are the final word.

Quick answer: put accepted containers loose—not bagged—in the recycling bin, empty food and liquid, and keep batteries, electronics, soft plastics, nappies and broken household glass out. Use Recycle Mate or Recycling Near You for items that need a specialist drop-off.

Start with reduce and reuse

Recycling uses energy and does not undo every impact of production. Before buying, ask whether you can avoid, borrow, repair, refill or buy second-hand. When an item reaches the end of its useful life, correct sorting helps recover its materials.

What usually belongs in kerbside recycling?

Depending on your council, common accepted items include clean paper and cardboard, aluminium and steel cans, glass bottles and jars, and selected rigid plastic containers. Check the label and local rules for lids, caps and glass separation.

Empty containers; a quick scrape or rinse is enough.
Keep recyclables loose, not inside plastic bags.
Flatten cardboard if your council requests it.
Follow the Australasian Recycling Label for each packaging component.

What should stay out?

The Australian Government’s 2026 household guide lists common contaminants including plastic bags and soft-plastic wrappers, polystyrene, light globes, mirrors, window glass, crockery, Pyrex, nappies, tissues, paper towels, batteries and electronics.

“Wish-cycling”—putting an uncertain item in and hoping—can contaminate good material or damage equipment. If local guidance is unavailable, rubbish is safer than contaminating the recycling stream.

How to recycle difficult items

Batteries

Never put batteries in kerbside rubbish or recycling; damaged batteries can start collection-truck and facility fires. Tape the terminals where recommended, keep them dry and take them to a B-cycle drop-off.

Phones, computers and televisions

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme gives households and small businesses free access to participating services. MobileMuster accepts phones and accessories. Erase personal data before handing devices over.

Soft plastics

Soft plastics do not belong in standard kerbside recycling unless your council is running a specific collection trial. A recycling triangle or plastic number does not override local instructions. Check for a current drop-off program before saving bags.

Clothing and shoes

Wear, repair, swap or donate clean items in usable condition. Charities are not waste services, so do not leave stained, wet or damaged goods unless the organisation explicitly accepts textile recycling.

Paint, chemicals and medicines

Use state household-chemical collections for paint, oils and hazardous products. Return unwanted medicines to a participating pharmacy through the Return Unwanted Medicines program. Never pour chemicals into stormwater drains.

Food and garden organics

FOGO rules vary, especially for compostable packaging, liners and pet waste. Follow your council’s list. If home composting, keep out items your system cannot safely process.

Five habits that prevent contamination

Keep your council’s current bin guide near the bins.
Read all parts of the Australasian Recycling Label.
Never bag mixed recyclables.
Create a safe box for specialist-drop-off items—but not loose damaged batteries.
Check programs before travelling; accepted items and locations change.

Choose durable household alternatives from Hello Charlie’s Plastic Less Essentials collection, remembering that reuse usually matters more than simply swapping one disposable material for another.