Recycling

Let’s get our waste sorted in Noosa and recycle right as a community. We all need to play our part in reducing waste going to the landfill and keeping recyclable materials in circulation for as long as possible. Recycling not only conserves non-renewable resources for future generations, making products from recyclable content consumes far less energy and water than when made from virgin materials.

Council provides a 240L standard recycling bin collected on a fortnightly based service. To upsize to a 360L recycling bin, simply submit an Online Waste Request.

What can be recycled in Noosa?

Before you pop your recycling into your yellow lidded recycling bin, be sure to:

  • Quick Rinse: before you empty the dishwater, give your recyclable glass, plastic, or metal containers a quick rinse
  • Go Lidless: dispose of lids in the general waste bin
  • Stay Labelled: labels can remain on the container
  • Size Matters: only recycle items larger than a single serve yogurt tub container and smaller than a 5L bucket
  • Keep It Loose:  keep your recycling loose and do not bag or box your recyclables
  • Be a Change Maker: if your container features the 10c symbol, you can be a change maker! Redeem your container at the Reverse Vending Machine at the Noosa Resource Recovery Centre.
  • Check It: recycling differs from Council to Council, if in doubt refer to Council’s interactive local recycling tool to check which bin your item goes into.

 Materials accepted

 Examples

 

PLASTIC

Hard rigid and flexible plastic bottles and containers

From the kitchen:
Milk/juice bottles, margarine tubs, yogurt tubs, fruit punnets, biscuit trays, sauce bottles, plastic jars (spread), clean and clear plastic meat trays (no film attached, and black trays not accepted), chinese takeaway plastic containers.

From the laundry and bathroom:
Shampoo/conditioner bottles, soap/liquid containers/bottles. Please remove lid and pump action screw top if present and dispose in general waste bin.

 

GLASS

Glass jars and bottles

Top Tip: glass containers come in handy and can be reused many times. Plus, glass is infinitely recyclable.

From the kitchen:
Glass jars that have contained food, sauce, or liquids eg. pasta sauce bottles, stir fry sauce jars, vegemite jar, wine bottles.

Glass containers found in other areas of the home such as perfume bottles and candle jars are not recyclable as they are made from a different type of glass.

STEEL TINS

Steel cans

Fun Fact: steel can be recycled an infinite number of times.

Beans tins, tomato tins, milk powder tins.

Lids are recyclable, simply return back inside the can after rinsing and slightly squeeze shut the opening. This excludes plastic seal lids.

ALUMINIUM

Aluminium cans, tray and foil

Fun Fact: aluminium can be recycled an infinite number of times.

Drink cans, aluminium trays (BBQ trays), foil butter container seal, foil wrapping, aluminium foil, easter egg foil.

Remember size does matter and foil wrapping needs to be collected and scrunched into a ball no smaller than a tennis ball.

AEROSOLS

Empty aerosol containers

Empty deodorant, fly spray, hair spray, oil spray, air freshener aerosol containers.

For safety during collection and recycling process, aerosols of all kinds MUST be empty.

PAPER

Paper

Egg carton, newspaper, magazines, envelopes with plastic window, cardboard boxes (flattened), cardboard boxes with plastic viewing panel (pasta boxes for example),

CARDBOARD

Boxes and cardboard sheet.

Egg carton, cardboard boxes (flattened), cardboard boxes with plastic viewing panel (eg pasta box), corrugated packing board, cereal boxes.

Top Tip: if a pizza box is covered in oil and cheese, it cannot be recycled. But, if only one half of the box is contaminated, tear off the cleaner section and recycle it.

LIQUID PAPERBOARD

Juice and milk cartons

Empty long life milk cartons, plant-based milk cartons, poppers, juice cartons

Recycling symbols explained

Not everything that has the recycling looking symbol (triangle featuring three arrows circulating) can go in your recycle bin. Council recommends referring to the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) to help you recycle. The labels shown below are located on packaging items in the supermarket.

 


Recycle symbol 1

This is recyclable.

Please dispose of it in your recycling bin.
Recycle symbol 2

Follow the instructions below the symbol and place this item in your recycling bin. If you are unable to follow instructions, please dispose of it in your general waste bin.
Recyle symbol 3

Please dispose of it in your general waste bin. This is not recyclable.

Recycle symbol 4

This item may be recyclable. Please refer to Council’s interactive local recycling tool (link to new page) to check for local recyclability options. If no options are available locally, you will be prompted to place the item in the general waste bin.

To recycle right and not contaminate recycling resources, the following items should NOT go into your yellow lidded recycling bin:

  • Scrunchable plastic: plastic bags, soft plastics, cling plastic wrap, bubble wrap, cellophane, etc
  • Hot and cold beverage cups, lids and straws
  • Takeaway cutlery and serviettes
  • Food waste
  • Textile waste
  • Garden waste
  • Polystyrene (clean polystyrene can be disposed of for free at the Noosa Resource Recovery Centre
  • E-waste (can be disposed of for free at the Noosa Resource Recovery Centre
  • Batteries and items containing batteries (can be disposed of for free at the Noosa Resource Recovery Centre
  • Hazardous materials
  • Sanitary items (nappies, tissues, toilet paper, wet wipes, etc)
  • General waste items

If still in doubt on what can go into your recycling bin, please refer to Council’s interactive local recycling tool. Alternatively, contact Council for more assistance with recycling in Noosa.

Frequently asked questions

  • See Councils Recycling Guide.

    Visy’s Recycling Education Video

    • Recycle bin itemsAll plastics numbered #1-6.The numbers in the triangles simply refer to what type of plastic the item is made from.
    • Plastic bags may not be placed in the recycle bin as the bags get caught in machinery.
    • There is no need to thoroughly rinse out containers, just make sure they are empty.
    • Leave lids on plastic containers and plastic bottles, empty first.
    • For more information view or download the Recycling Guide or use Council’s RecycleSmart App

  • Visit Plastic Free Noosa to find out what it's all about.

  • Visit our Composting and Worm Farms page.

  • The contents of your yellow-lid recycling bin are collected by our contractor, Cleanaway, and transported to The Materials Recovery Facility or MRF at Bli Bli.

    The MRF (pronounced ‘murf’) receives the co-mingled recyclables. Items are sorted and separated into material types using mechanical and manual processes. The MRF also removes contaminants (e.g. plastic bags).

    The sorted recyclables – paper and cardboard, steel cans, aluminium cans, glass and plastics (#1-6) are then transported from the MRF by Visy to be sold into markets for recyclables. They are then reprocessed into new products.

  • Redcycle chartThe following items can be disposed at various locations free of charge:

    • Coffee pods – Drop off at selected florists, search on the Terracycle website for your nearest location 
    • Beauty Products Recycling Program - L'Oréal and Garnier have teamed up with TerraCycle website to provide a second life for used personal care and beauty packaging through the free Beauty Products Recycling Program.
    • Oral Care Recycling Program - TerraCycle and Colgate have partnered to create a free recycling program for oral care product packaging, search on the TerraCycle website
    • Household batteries – All Noosa Council landfill sites, L3 Noosa Council, Cooroy Library, The Noosa Library, The J, The Noosa Leisure Centre
    • Mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories – All Noosa Council tips,  Mobile Muster provide drop off points in the Noosa area or you can mail your phone to them (free postage). Visit the Mobile Muster website for instructions or to search for your closest drop off point.

    • Reviva Shop - At the Noosa landfill, drop off good quality unwanted items or shop and purchase a bargain!
    • Teracycle - offers a variety of programs through which you may recycle Free Recycling Programs
    • Freecycle - people giving and receiving products for free
    • Garage Sale Trail – annual coordinated garage sales
    • Gumtree - an online marketplace
    • TuShare - give and get great stuff for free
    • Spare Harvest – share or swap what people have spare in their gardens or farms
    • Oz Harvest - connects local food businesses with local charities for the benefit of people in need
    • Plastic Free Noosa – find out how you can reduce plastic in your life or business
    • View the Recycling Guide or use council’s RecycleSmart App!