Navigating the world of recycling can sometimes feel like a puzzle. In Australia, the standard household recycling bin – usually identified by a yellow lid or “commingled”. This mean it’s designed for a mix of materials that are sorted later at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
Getting it right is essential, as contamination (putting the wrong thing in) can send an entire truckload of otherwise good recycling straight to landfill.
Here is a simple, comprehensive guide to what generally belongs in your commingled yellow-lid bin across Australia, and a critial look at the common contaminats you must keep out.
👍 The Big 5: What Can Go In
The commingled bin is primarily designed for five major materials streams. Remember: Iteems must be empty and loose (not ina bag).
Paper and Cardboard
- Newspaper, magazines and junk mail
- Office paper (including envelopes with clear plastic windows)
- Cardboard boxes (must be flattened to save space)
- Cereal boxes, egg cartons and tissue boxes
- Clean pizza boxes (remove all food scraps – a little grease is often okay, but heavy food contamination is not).
Rigid Plastics (Containers Only)
This category includes hard plastic bottles, tubs and containers from the kitchen, bathroom and laundry.
- Plastic bottles (water, soft drink, milk, juice, shampoo, detergent).
- Hard plastic food containers (ice cream tubs, yogurt tubs, butter/margarine containers).
- Fruit and vegetable punnets (rigid clear plastic)
- Look for the recycling codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on the bottom (note – Some councils only accept 1, 2, and 5.
Glass
- Glass bottles (wine, beer, spirirts).
- Glass jars (jam, pickles, coffee).
Aluminium and Steel
- Aluminium drink cans (soft drink, beer).
- Steel/Tin food cans (tuna, vegetables, pet food).
- Empty aerosol cans (must be completely empty).
- Aluminium foil (must be clean and scrunched in to a ball about the sixe of a tennis ball or larger, otherwise it is too small to be sorted).
Liquid Paperboard
- Milk and juice cartons (Tetra Pak cartons are increasingly accepted, but check your local council as this can vary).
🛑 The “Dirty Dozen”: What Cannot Go In (The Contaminants)
These items are the biggest culprits for recycling contamination. They can jam sorting machinery, harm workers or contaminate the valuable materials.
| Item | Reason for Exclusion | Alternative Disposal |
| Plastic Bags & Soft Plastics (e.g., bread bags, cling wrap, chip packets) | Clog machinery at the MRF. | RedCycle (check for program availability) or General Waste (Red Lid). |
| Food Waste & Liquids | Contaminates paper and other materials, making them unusable. | Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO/Green Lid) or General Waste. |
| Nappies | Health hazard and non-recyclable waste. | General Waste (Red Lid). |
| Polystyrene/Styrofoam (e.g., meat trays, foam packaging) | Breaks into small, unrecoverable pieces and contaminates other materials. | General Waste or special drop-off events. |
| Takeaway Coffee Cups | They are often lined with plastic (waxed cardboard) and are mixed material. | General Waste (Red Lid). Use a reusable cup instead! |
| Batteries & E-Waste (e.g., light globes, phones, anything with a plug) | Fire hazard and contains toxic materials. | Special e-waste drop-off or collection points (e.g., Aldi, Officeworks, council events). |
| Crockery & Ceramics (e.g., plates, mugs, drinking glasses, Pyrex) | Glass items that melt at a different temperature than bottle/jar glass. | General Waste (Red Lid). |
| Clothing or Textiles | Get tangled in machinery. | Donate to charity if in good condition, or General Waste if unusable. |
| Mirrors or Window Glass | Not the same composition as recyclable glass. | General Waste (Red Lid) or Hard Waste collection. |
| Shredded Paper | Too small to be captured by sorting equipment. | Home composting, FOGO bin, or General Waste. |
| Medical Waste (e.g., syringes, blister packs) | Health hazard. | General Waste (sharps must be in a specific container). |
| Garden Waste (e.g., soil, rocks, leaves) | Belongs in the FOGO bin or General Waste. | Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO/Green Lid). |
💡 The Golden Rule: Check Locally!
While the guidelines above are standard across most of Australia (especially for the yellow-lid bin), local council rules are the final authority.
Recycling technology, processing facilites, and state-level policy (like the Victorian roll-out of a separate purple lid for glass) can leas to slight variations, especially for items like plastic lids, soft plastic and liquid paperboard.