Myth - Recycling just ends up in the landfill
No way! All the Shires kerbside recyclables are sent to Cleanaway's Guildford Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
Here, all items are sorted, baled, and shipped to facilities which will recycle them into new items.
Please note that ONLY paper, cardboard, glass, tins, and rigid plastics should be put in your yellow kerbside bin.
Myth - Plastic bags and other soft plastics can go in the recycling bin
Even though soft plastics used to recyclable, they are NOT anymore. This is because they get tangled in the machinery and stop it from working.
Soft plastics are plastics which can be easily scrunched in your hand like plastic packets, wrappers, and bags.
The only plastics which should go in your recycling bin are rigid plastics like milk bottles (rinsed and lid off).
Please put your soft plastics in your general waste bin (red or green lid).
Myth - I can bag my recycling
We understand that bagging your recycling may keep your bin cleaner but anything in a bag is sent to landfill.
This is because bagged recycling may contain items which cannot be recycled. Cleanaway's Guildford Materials Recovery Facility processes large quantities of recycling daily and staff do not have the time to sort through bags.
To improve recycling, please put your recyclable items in the bin loose, rinsed, and with lids off.
Myth - My coffee cup can go in the recycling bin
Not true!
Due to new plastic bans in Western Australia, takeaway coffee cups should be made from plant-based materials that look like plastic but aren't. These materials contaminate the recycling stream.
Please put these takeaway coffee cups in the general waste bin (red or green lid).
Myth - Plastic bottle lids can go in the recycling bin
No, they can't.
These lids are often made from different types of plastic than the bottles themselves which makes recycling them tricky. They are hard to sort and may also get stuck in the machinery because they're so small.
Even when separated from the bottle, plastic bottle lids cannot go in the recycling bin. Instead, they must go in the general waste bin (red or green lid).
Alternately, these items are accepted at containers for change facilities (must be separate from bottles).
Myth - Clothes, shoes and textiles can go in the recycling bin
Unfortunately, they cannot. Only 5 items should go in your recycling bin. These items are:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Steel and aluminium cans
- Rigid Plastic
- Glass
Please donate good quality textiles to charity and put damaged or worn-out textiles in the general waste bin (red or green lid).
Myth - Degradable, Biodegradable & Compostable all mean the same thing
Degradable will break down into tiny pieces of plastic over time when exposed to sunlight and heat. These tiny cause harm to the environment and living creatures (humans included) when ingested.
Biodegradable products are often just plastics that have microorganisms which help the product to break down, ultimately breaking down into microplastics. Bioplastics are biodegradable materials that come from renewable sources like plants or other biological sources.
Compostable products are made from natural materials that don't release any toxic matter when breaking down. Even though majority of these items can be composted at home (find out more about the Shires home composting rebates here), some can only be composted via industrial methods. This means that if you're not home composting, please put these items in your general waste bin (red or green lid).
Myth - Nappies can go in the recycling bin
No! Even though the nappy box is recyclable, the nappies themselves are not. Used nappies are unhygienic and will contaminate other recyclables.
Please put nappies in your general waste bin (red or green lid).
School Initiatives
Primary Teacher Resources
Activities:
Videos:
Bin Posters
Secondary Teacher Resources
Activities:
Videos:
Bin Posters
Books
Adult:
- Clean up Australia Day by Jane Pfeiffer
- The Compost Coach by Kate Flood
- Eco Craft: Recycle, Recraft, Restyle by Susan Wasinger
- A Family Guide to Waste-Free Living by Lauren & Oberon Carter
- Home DIY Recipes for a Tox-Free, Zero-Waste Life by Harriet Birrell
- How to Save Your Planet One Object at a Time by Dr Tara Shine
- Six Weeks to Zero Waste : a Simple Plan for Life by Kate Arnell
- Turning the Tide on Plastic by Lucy Siegle
- Affluenza by Clive Hamilton
- Zero Waste Patterns: 20 Projects to Sew Your Own Wardrobe by Birgitta Helmersson
- Too Good to Waste: Recipes to Save Money & Save the Planet by Sophia Young.
- Plastic Free by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz
- How to Live Plastic Free by Marine Conservation Society
- An Almost Zero Waste Life by Megean Weldon
- Fashion Upcycling: The DIY Guide to Sewing, Mending, and Sustainable Reinventing Your Wardrobe by Ysabel Hilado
- 101 Ways to go Zero Waste by Kathryn Kellogg
Children:
(*) = picture books
- 101 Ways to be an Eco Hero BY Kait Eaton
- The ABC Kids Guide to Loving the Planet by Jaclyn Crupi
- The Amazing Recycling Project Book by Sarah Stanford
- The Big Book of Nature Art by Yuval Zommer
- Cardboard Activity Lab: 25 Exciting Recycling Projects for Crafty Kids by Jemma Westing
- *Garbage Guts by Emily S. Smith
- *General Waste by Michel Streich
- Go Green! By Liz Gogerly
- *Junk : a Spectacular Tale of Trash by Nicholas Day
- Kids Fight Plastic by Martin Dorey
- *The No Waste Race by Samone Amba (junior fiction book)
- *Rosie Rescues her Precious Planet by Raveena Grace
- Stuff by Maddie Moate
- Zero Waste Kids : 30 Challenges to Cut Down Waste by Kathryn Kelogg
- Foodwise: A Kid’s Guide to Fighting Food Waste and Saving the Planet by Lucy Bell
Facebook Groups
Zero Waste Plastic Free Perth
War On Waste AU
Sustainable SJ
Buy Nothing Project SJ
Useful Links / Online Resources
There is a vast amount of information available online which can take your organisation or households waste education journey to the next level - here are some popular waste reduction / recycling programs and initiatives to guide you on a waste-wise path:
- Waste Authority WA - Too good to waste - Various educational programs to reduce littering and landfill including; Waste Sorted, FOGO and Hazardous Household Waste
- Recycle Right- Encouraging and assisting residents and businesses in Western Australia to recycle, reduce their waste and live more sustainably
- Little Green Steps -Partners and connects early learning education providers to a hub of practical resources to achieve a lifetime of sustainable living
- Keep Australia Beautiful Council - Campaigns on litter prevention including; adopt-a-spot, Clean Schools, Clean Marine
- Share Waste - Give your waste a second chance - neighbourhood networks for recycling food waste and other organics
- Planet Ark - Recycling Near You - Community recycling points, recycling tips and initiatives including National Recycling Week
- Story of Stuff- Films and pollution prevention programs that explore the lifelong journey of waste including plastics
Waste Guides
Household Hazardous Waste Program - Flyer
With the choice of 13 different languages, these waste guides will help you cut through the confusion of what goes in your kerbside bins.
Arabic - How to sort your waste
English - How to sort your waste
French - How to sort your waste
German - How to sort your waste
Indonesian - How to sort your waste
Italian - How to sort your waste
Japanese - How to sort your waste
Malaysian - How to sort your waste
Portuguese - How to sort your waste
Simplified Chinese - How to sort your waste
Spanish - How to sort your waste
Traditional Chinese - How to sort your waste
Vietnamese - How to sort your waste