In Australia, the ‘three bin system’ for kerbside collection has now been introduced in most States and their Council areas, so recycling is essentially standardised across the country. After arriving in the UK, I was baffled by the recycling system here which is different in every county, and information about it is so difficult to find!

After some research and adjustment, I ended up with 10 separate bins in my apartment. Yes, 10! More on that in another post.

Here is some simple information covering Australia and the UK so you can work out all the recycling options available in your area.

General Recycling Information

First, there are a few truths for responsible recycling:

• You should be aiming to REDUCE first, then REUSE, and only then RECYCLE! The very last option is to recycle responsibly, as recycling uses energy and causes waste so it is not a perfect sustainable cycle. For a few more ‘R’s to add to this list, see my post Steps to Sustainability
• Here’s a quick guide on the 7 universal types of plastic (with UK recycling details) so you know what those plastic symbols mean.
• Plastic bottle tops cannot be recycled with the bottle.
• In the UK, glass jars should be recycled with the lid on.
• Cardboard that contained food (such as pizza boxes) can only be recycled if it has minimal oil stains.
• To recycle foil, ball pieces together and/or stuff then into an aluminum drink can or tin. This helps the mechanical sorters pick it up.
• Spray bottles and the spray handles/nozzles need to be recycled differently.
• Plastic can only be recycled a limited number of times into lower and lower grades of plastic before the material is no longer recyclable. A lot of it is also shipped overseas to be handled, and lower grades of plastic can often slip from the system. It is by far the least environmentally friendly form of recycling. Try to find other solutions, such as ecobricking, rather than recycling it.
• Materials such as cardboard, glass and aluminum are much easier to recycle and have a longer recycling life.

Recycling Information for Australia

These websites provide information about recycling throughout the nation, a State, or by Council area so you can research your recycling options.

Nation-wide

• Each Council also has its own government website for recycling, so search for your local Council’s page
• Recycling Near You for information on non-kerbside recycling methods and centres by Council areas
• TerraCycle Australia for TerraCycle programs near you (although use at your own discretion as this is still a form of plastic recycling and the scheme is not the greenest)

New South Wales

• See the Return and Earn scheme
• The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has information about Community Recycling Centers
• Love Food Hate Waste is about reducing food waste

Northern Territory

• The NT Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has information on container Collection Depots
• City of Darwin has information about household waste including this A-Z Waste & Recycling Guide

Queensland

• See the Queensland Government pages for public waste and recycling facilities in Queensland and recycling right
• Containers for Change is a recycling scheme
• See REDcycle for recycling soft plastics (but again, be critical about plastic recycling)

South Australia

• Look up Which Bin SA to find out what goes into which kerbside recycling bins, broken down into suburbs
• Green Industries SA has government programs and information, including household chemical and paint drop-off depots
• SA Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has information about waste and recycling as well as container deposits

Tasmania

No state-wide information is available. See Recycling Near You or search for your local Council information.

Victoria

• Sustainability Victoria has pages on waste and recycling that are useful, including what you can and can’t put into your recycling bins and State-wide recycling services by Council areas

Western Australia

• RecycleRight has clear and easy information on kerbside recycling by Council areas
• Waste Authority WA has state government programs, information and resources by Council area
• For a more human insight to recycling in Perth (only), visit Treading My Own Path’s blog How (and Where) to Recycle in Perth

Recycling Information for the UK

There are apparently 91 councils throughout the UK, although there can be up to 408 councils depending on your definition! The websites of these councils (should) provide recycling information pertinent to that council area. Here, I’ve provided just UK-wide information.

• A search for recycling collections by postcode will redirect to the relevant Council webpage for kerbside recycling
• TerraCycle UK for TerraCycle programs near you (although use at your own discretion as this is still a form of plastic recycling and the scheme is not the greenest)
• UK recycling packaging labels explained along with tips are available on How to Recycle in the UK
• Compostable packaging symbols explained
• If you can access it, I highly recommend watching Hugh’s War on Waste

While some supermarkets do have schemes to collect shopping bags and some soft plastic food wrappers, the cynical side of me prefers not to use them and instead to take personal responsibility and recycle my own plastic in ecobricks (the subject of another post). Other reasons for reconsidering their use are:

• Rumor has it that if any non-conforming plastic or waste is thrown into these collections (like an apple core) the whole lot is binned. Given the lack of public awareness regarding recycling, I’d hazard a guess that most ends up in landfill anyway.
• If it is recycled, there’s no guarantee that it will be recycled responsibly and not shipped overseas.
• Even if it is recycled, these bags are made of such a low grade of plastic that they can probably only be recycled once, into an even lower grade single-use product. Single-use items are used for an average of 15 minutes and it’s likely it won’t be recyclable. This means the plastic is then binned and is vulnerable to releasing dioxins or breaking into microplastics which are harmful to the environment and us. Essentially, there’s not much benefit to recycling these in the first place. Sorry folks.

What are you currently recycling? What else will you try to recycle? Do you have any tips, options or information for others?