Everything you need to work smarter, waste less, and boost your impact and it’s 100% free. Dive into our resource library below.

A-Z of Recycling

How to Dispose of Anything: Your A-Z Recycling Guide

Proper waste disposal isn’t just about clearing out clutter – it’s about protecting our local environment and keeping valuable resources out of landfills. When you dispose of unwanted items correctly, you help ensure they are recycled, repurposed, or handled safely.

Explore our alphabetical guide below to find the proper recycling or drop-off method for your household items. 

Note: Waste rules can differ depending on your location. Always check with your local council or municipality for specific local guidelines, collection schedules, and facility rules. 

 

A

Aerosol Cans: Must be completely empty. If empty, place in your standard yellow/commingled recycling bin. Never pierce or crush aerosols.

Aluminium Foil & Trays: Clean off food waste and scrunch into a ball (aim for tennis-ball size) so sorting machines can detect it, then place in recycling.

Animal Waste & Kitty Litter: Wrap securely in a bag and place in your general waste bin. Do not put pet droppings in green FOGO bins unless your council explicitly allows it.

Asbestos: HAZARDOUS. Never place in household bins or kerbside cleanups. Must be handled, wrapped, and disposed of by licensed professionals at designated waste facilities.

Aluminium Cans: Empty any remaining liquids, rinse lightly, and place directly into your standard yellow/commingled recycling bin. (Alternatively, return eligble cans to your local 10c Container Deposit Scheme return point for a refund.)

 

B

Batteries (Household AA, AAA, Button): Fire Hazard. Never put batteries in household bins. Take them to dedicated dop-off bins at local supermarkets (Aldi, Woolworths, Coles) or recycling centres. 

Batteries (Car / Lead Acid): Drop off at community recycling centres, local auto supply stores, or transfer stations. 

Books: If in good conditional, donate to libraries, charity shops, or street libraries. Damaged books can go in paper recycling. 

Building Materials & Rubble: Take to a local waste transfer station or book a hard-waste skip bin. 

 

 

C

Cardboard & Pizza Boxes: Clean cardboard goes in the recycling bin. Flatten boxes to save space. Heavily greased pizza boxes go in general waste or green organics (if your council permits).

Cell Phones & Accessories: E-Waste. Drop off at mobile phone recycling points, electronic retailers or recycling centres.

Ceramics & Ovenware (Pyrex): General Waste. These materials melt at different temperatures than container glass and cannot be recycled in your regular bin. 

Clothing & Textiles: Donate wearable items to charity stores. Damaged textiles Can be dropped at specialised fabric recycling drop-offs or cut up for rags.

 

D

Detergent & Shampoo Bottles: Empty, rinse, and place hard plastic bottles into your recycling bin (leave caps attached if required by your local council)

Disposable Nappies / Diapers: General waste bin only. Wrap tightly before throwing away. 

Drinking Glasses & Mirrors: General waste. Toughened glass or mirror glass cannot be recycled with food and beverage jars. Wrap broken glass in paper for safety. 

E

Electronics & E-Waste (TVs, Computers, Printers): Do not put in household bins. Take to e-waste collection sites or use council electronic pickup services.

Egg Cartons: Place paper cartons in your recycling bin or tear them up for home composting/FOGO. 

F

Fluorescent Tubes & Globes: Contain small amounts of mercury. Take to household chemical drop-offs or hardware stores with globe recycling (e.g., Bunnings/IKEA).

Food Scraps: Place in your green FOGO (Food Organics Organics) bin, backyard compost, or worm farm.

Furniture: Donate usable pieces. Broken furniture can be scheduled for a council hard-waste collection or taken to a transfer station.

G

Gas Bottles & Cylinders: Fire & Explosion Hazard. Return to Swap’n’Go locations, Scraps metal dealers, or community recycling centres. Never put in any kerbside bin.

Glass Bottles & Jars: Empty, rinse, and place in your recycling bin or take eligible containers to Container refund points.

H

Hazardous Chemicals (Paint, Pesticides, Solvents): Never pour down drains or put in household bins. Take to official Chemical CleanOut events or hazardous waste drop-off sites. 

I

Ink & Toner Cartridges: Drop off at participating office supply stores (Officeworks, Australia Post, electronic shops) for specialised recycling.

J

Junk Mail & Magazines: Place directly into your paper and cardboard recycling bin. 

K

Kitchen Ware (Pots & Pans): Donate if usable. Non-stick or heavily damaged cookware goes to scrap metal recyclers or general waste.

L

Light Bulbs (Standard Incandescent / Halogen): General waste bin. Wrap securely if broken. 

M

Mattresses: Schedule a council bulky-waste collection or take to a transfer station that offers mattress recycling (springs and foam are repurposed).

Medicines & Pharmaceuticals: Return expired or unused medications to any local pharmacy for free, safe disposal. Never flush them down the toilet. 

Metal Cans (Tin / Steel / Aluminium): Rinse and place in your standard recycling bin. 

N

Newspapers: Place in your paper/cardboard recycling bin.

O

Oil (Cooking Oil): Small quantities can be absorbed into paper towels and put in general waste or FOGO. Large amounts should be taken to a recycling centre. Never pour oil down the drain. 

Oil (Motor Oil): Take to a local waste transfer station or auto mechanic drop-off for oil recycling. 

P

Paint (Latex & Oil-Based): Take leftover paint to dedicated paint drop-off sites or hazardous chemical centres.

Plastics (Hard / Containers): Milk jugs, shampoo bottles, and foot tubs goi in your recycling bin. 

Plastics (Soft / Wrappers, Bags, Bubble Wrap): Do no place lose in your kerbside recycling bin. Check for local soft-plastics drop-off points, or place in general waste if recycling is unavailable. 

Polystyrene & Foam Packaging: General waste bin, unless your council has a dedicated EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) Collection facility.

R

Razors: (Disposable): Wrap securely and place in general waste.

S

Scrap Metal: Take old metal items, wire, roofing, or car parts to a scrap metal dealer or transfer station. 

Smoke Detectors: Return to the manufacturer or take to a specialised household hazardous waste drop-off centre.

Syringes & Needles (Sharps): Medical Hazard. Never place loose in any household bin. Store in an approved yellow sharps container and drop off at participating pharmacies or hospitals. 

T

Televisions & Monitors: E-waste drop-off locations or council collection services.

Timber & Treated Wood: Untreated wood can be mulches/composted. Treated timber (CCA-treated) contains chemicals and must go to a landfill/transfer station.

Tyres: Return to tyre retailers when replacing, or drop-off at a waste management facility (fees often apply).

U

Umbrellas: If broken beyond repair, place in the general waste bin.

V

Vapes & E-Cigarettes: Fire Hazard. Contain lithium batteries and hazardous residue. Must be taken to designated battery/e-waste drop-off points. Never place in household bins.

W

Whitegoods (Fridges, Washing Machines, Microwaves): Book a council hard-waste collection or drop off at a scrap metal/recycling facility. Ensure fridges are degassed where required.

Wipes (Baby / Cleaning Wipes): General waste bin. Even if marked “flushable”, they clog pipes and sewer systems.

X

X-Rays: Take to specialised Community Recycling Centres or radiology clinics that accept old film for silver extraction. 

Y

Yard Waste & Garden Trimmings: Green FOGO bin, home compost, or green waste transfer station.

Z

Zip-Lock Bags: Place in general waste, or collection with soft plastics if a soft-plastics recycling scheme operates in your area.