Published on Tuesday, 13 November 2018 at 8:00:00 AM

Recycling rules have changed across the Perth metropolitan area.

To reduce the amount of contamination in our recycling streams, Western Australia’s three material recovery facilities have established a common set of rules for what can and cannot be placed in yellow-lid recycling bins.

What you can recycle

• Steel and aluminium cans
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic bottles and containers
• Paper (not shredded) and cardboard (flattened)

All items need to be clean, dry, empty, have no lids and placed loosely (not bagged) in your yellow-lid recycling bin.

What you cannot recycle

The following items negatively affect the processing of recycling and can no longer be disposed of in yellow-lid recycling bins.

Aerosol Cans

Aerosols are classed as Household Hazardous Waste and cannot be disposed of in residential rubbish bins. Click here to find your nearest drop-off facility.

Soft Plastics

Plastics that you can scrunch in your hand are classed as soft plastic - plastic bags, bubble wrap, cling wrap and chip packets. These items can be taken to REDcycle bins in major supermarkets for recycling.

Meat Trays

Due to food contamination, meat trays cannot be recycled and should be disposed of in your green-lid general waste bin.

Polystyrene

Polystyrene is uneconomical to transport overseas for recycling and should not be placed in yellow-lid recycling bins. For proper recycling, polystyrene can be dropped off at CLAW Environmental.

Coffee Cups

Disposable coffee cups cannot be recycled and should be placed in your green-lid general waste bin.

For a summary of the new recycling rules, check out the below clip.

Unsure of how to properly dispose of something?

Our A-Z Waste Guide contains instructions on how to properly dispose of over 100 different items of waste.

A-Z Waste Guide

For more information, visit our waste & recycling page below or contact our waste team on 9273 6000 or at mail@vincent.wa.gov.au

Waste & Recycling

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