Household waste doubles over Christmas so the festive season is even more reason to recycle correctly to divert precious resources from landfill.
PLEASE, never place food, soft plastics, toys, clothes or Christmas decorations in your yellow recycling bin.
The A-Z Recycling & Disposal Guide tells you how to recycle right all year round in the Shoalhaven. Find it here.
The following is a ‘Christmas Hitlist” of the common Christmas waste and recycling items.
Present opening is often a frenzy of excitement especially when children are involved. Before the opening ceremony begins, set up some boxes to place your separate recyclables. Reuse wrapping, ribbons and other decorations as much as possible.
Carboard and paper
Place into the yellow bin. Remove as much plastic sticky tape as possible.
Plastic blister packaging
Often used around toys, cannot be recycled and can only go in the red bin.
Soft plastic
If there are not reuse options, soft plastic cannot be recycled and must go into the red bin.
Polystyrene packaging
CLEAN white sheets only. Often used in electronic goods packaging and can be taken to any Council Recycling & Waste Depot for recycling. Due to the recycling process, polystyrene cannot go in the yellow bin.
Other foam/polystyrene packaging must go into the red landfill bin.
This includes
- Foam pellets and bean bag balls
- Thin translucent ‘foldable sheets’
Hessian string (twine)
Place into your compost
Plastic ribbons and tinsel
If it cannot be reused, then place in the red bin
E-Waste
Many people are going to receive a new ‘gadget’ this Christmas and it’s possibly replacing an older one. This includes mobile phones, computers, game consoles, household appliances (hairdryers, toasters, fans), TVs, Christmas lights and more.
Anything that has a lead or a battery is considered e-waste and can be taken to all Council Recycling & Waste Depots for recycling for free.
E-waste may contain precious resources such as metals and sometimes hazardous materials, therefore they should not be placed in either of your kerbside bins.
Batteries
All household batteries can be taken to Council Recycling & Waste Depots for recycling.
NEVER place any battery in your kerbside bin as they can ignite in the waste load during transportation or at the waste facility.
Unwanted gifts
It’s time to practice those facial muscles and smile, for it wouldn’t be Christmas if you didn’t get something you didn’t want or need right?
DON’T throw it away or stash in the back of the cupboard. Remember the old adage “Someone else’s trash is another one’s treasure”.
Try these repurposing options:
- Council’s Buy Back Centres accept a range of items, used and unused
- Make some cash by selling it on-line
- Donate to an op-shop
- Keep it aside and re-gift it