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How to sort your waste

Which bin do I put it in?

For a comprehensive A-Z sorting guide for your three-bin FOGO system, including tricky items that cannot be placed in your kerbside bins, visit the Recycle Right^® website or download the free Recycle Right^® app!

Recycle Right - Materials A-Z Guide 3 bin FOGO

Recycle Right - Download the free app

The LIME GREEN LID FOGO BIN is for food scraps and garden organic waste such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, garden cuttings and lawn clippings.

The lime-green lid FOGO bin is collected weekly

The YELLOW LID RECYCLING BIN is for recycling these 5 materials: paper, cardboard, aluminium and steel cans, plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars.

The yellow lid recycling bin is collected fortnightly.

The RED LID GENERAL WASTE BIN is for general rubbish that cannot be composted or recycled, such as nappies and plastic bags.

The red lid general waste bin is collected fortnightly.

Bin labels

Turn your household into GREAT Sorters with these handy bin labels.

Download bin labels here

Three bin system

In Vincent we have three bin system for kerbside collection - one for general waste, one for recycling, and one for organics (that’s food organics and garden organic waste, or FOGO).

By providing three bins, we recover more resources and reduce how much waste ends up in landfill.

Lime-Green Lid FOGO Bin

Your lime-green lid FOGO bin is collected weekly and is for food organics and garden organics. The contents of this bin will be composted so please don't place any plastic, glass or metal in this bin. Please use only certified compostable liners in your kitchen caddy.

You can place the following items in your FOGO bin:

Food waste including:

fruit and vegetables
meat and bones
tea leaves and coffee grinds
bread and dairy products
seafood including shells
food leftovers and scraps
egg shells
out-of-date food (unpackaged)

Garden organics including:

lawn clippings
leaves
flowers and weeds
small branches
twigs

Yellow Lid Recycling Bin

Your yellow lid recycling bin is collected fortnightly and is for recyclable items, which are taken to a facility to be sorted into their different material types.

Remember to place items in the bin LOOSE, RINSED, with LIDS OFF. Please do not bag recyclables!

Please use this bin for recycling these five items only:

paper (clean, dry, flat - no shredded paper, paper towels or tissues)
cardboard (please flatten)
aluminium and steel cans
plastic bottles and containers
glass bottles and jars

Red Lid General Waste Bin

Your red lid general waste bin is collected fortnightly and is for general rubbish items that cannot be reused, recycled or composted, including:

nappies and hygiene products
soft, scrunchable plastics
polystyrene and foam packaging
unusable clothing and rags (if in good condition – donate to charity!)
long-life liquid cartons (eg. Tetrapak)
face masks - all types
Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits
gloves
bubble wrap
meat trays
greaseproof paper, baking paper, waxed paper
garden hose
plastic strapping
general rubbish items

In an effort to reduce contamination and improve WA's recycling rates, all Perth and Peel local governments and material recovery facilities have agreed on the same list of acceptable items for each bin.

The below items cannot be placed in your yellow-lid recycling bin:

Soft Plastics

The yellow lid recycling bin cannot accept soft plastics or bags. Items should be loose and never bagged.

Plastic bags, cling wrap, bubble wrap, lolly wrappers, chip packets, cereal bags and other soft, scrunchable plastics can get tangled in machinery at the materials recovery facility. They also contaminate the paper recycling stream by getting mixed up with bales of paper and cardboard, reducing the value of this end product.

UPDATE - June 2023: REDcycle's soft plastics collection program has been suspended due to a backlog of materials and lack of domestic recycling capacity.

A Soft Plastics Taskforce has been created by major supermarkets Woolworths, Coles and Aldi to create a 'Roadmap to Restart' soft plastics collections again in the near future.

So, what can you do while soft plastics recycling is unavailable? Here are some ideas:

Rethink your soft plastic packaging purchases: is there a packaging free or recyclable packaged option you could switch to?
Choose loose, unpackaged items over prepacked.
Try a shop at your local bulk food store to see the many packing free options available and BYO jars and containers to refill.
Ditch that plastic produce bag: BYO reusable produce bags or put items loose in your shopping bag.
Ask your favourite brands and shops to look at alternative packaging options or to consider offering a BYO container service.

Aerosol Cans

Aerosol cans are hazardous and must not be put any of your kerbside bins.

They contain pressurised, flammable gases or liquids, which can cause fires and explosions at recycling facilities or when compressed in the back of a collection truck.

Please take aerosol cans to one of these Recycling Facilities (free of charge):

Recycling Centre Balcatta, 238 Balcatta Road, Balcatta. Ph: 9205 8555 https://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/waste-and-environment/waste-and-recycling/recycling-centre-balcatta-(rcb)

West Metro Recycling Centre, 60 Lemnos Street, Shenton Park. Ph: 9384 6711 https://www.wmrc.wa.gov.au/recycling-disposal/west-metro-recycling-centre/

Tamala Park, 1700 Marmion Avenue, Mindarie. Ph: 9306 6303 https://www.mrc.wa.gov.au/disposal/how-to-dispose-of-waste/sorting-your-load.aspx

All of these facilities are open seven days a week.

For further Household Hazardous Waste collection facilities visit: https://www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/programs/view/household-hazardous-waste

Meat trays

All meat trays must be placed in the red-lid general bin. This is due to the contamination caused by not rinsing the trays, absorption pads left on trays, and the mixture of materials used to make them, eg. soft plastic film and hard plastic container.

Consider buying your meat from a butcher where purchases are wrapped in paper or try taking your own reusable container.

Handy tip: Leave a reusable container or two in your car to keep handy for shopping trips.

Polystyrene

Polystyrene and styrofoam, including bean bag beads, expanded polystyrene packaging and styrofoam packaging sheets, cannot be recycled through your kerbside recycling bins, so should not be placed in the yellow-lid recycling bin.

You can place very small amounts of polystyrene or styrofoam in your red-lid general waste bin.

Expanded polystyrene packaging can be recycled in larger amounts for free by dropping it at one of several locations around the Perth metro area, including:

Recycling Centre Balcatta, 238 Balcatta Road, Balcatta. Ph: 9205 8555 https://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/waste-and-environment/waste-and-recycling/recycling-centre-balcatta-(rcb)

West Metro Recycling Centre, 60 Lemnos Street, Shenton Park. Ph: 9384 6711 https://www.wmrc.wa.gov.au/recycling-disposal/west-metro-recycling-centre/

Tamala Park, 1700 Marmion Avenue, Mindarie. Ph: 9306 6303 https://www.mrc.wa.gov.au/disposal/how-to-dispose-of-waste/sorting-your-load.aspx

CLAW Environmental, 5 Forge Street, Welshpool. Ph: 9333 4888 https://www.clawenvironmental.com

All pieces must have tape and stickers removed and will be recycled at no cost.

The polystyrene will be compacted on site and sent for recycling into new packaging materials.

Coffee cups

Take-away coffee cups and lids are unable to be recycled. They should be placed in you red-lid general waste bin at home, or a general waste street tidy bin if you are out and about.

Compostable coffee cups are unable to be placed in the lime-green lid FOGO bin. Please place all compostable and single-use coffee cups and lids in the red-lid general waste bin, or a general waste street tidy bin if you are out and about.

Try to avoid single-use disposables such as coffee cups. BYO reusable coffee cup to the cafe, dine in and use a cafe-supplied mug, or borrow a cup from their mug library.

If your favourite cafe doesn't have a mug library, let us know so we can help them to set one up for free.

Handy tip: Keep a reusable coffee cup in your car or bag to have handy for impromptu cafe visits.

Helpful tips

Only loose items can be placed in the recycling bin - bagged items will not be recycled.
Rinse all jars, bottles and containers - used dish washing water can be used for this.
Please don’t put batteries, globes or chemicals in your bins! These items are hazardous and can be harmful if they enter the wrong waste stream. Click here to find out how to safely dispose of these items.

Get help using your bins

If your household is regularly filling up your bins, or you're having problems sorting waste, we're here to help. Our Waste Team can come to your home and take a look at the way bins are being used and suggest ways to make things easier for you. We've also provided some tips below.

Help with general waste

If you are finding your red lid general waste bin is filling up too quickly, particularly with things like nappies that produce odours, there are a number of steps you can take.

Research has shown that bin odours peak after four days and don’t get noticeably better or worse. Washing your bin out with detergent and a broom can also help to alleviate odours.

Here are some additional tips for reducing odours in your general waste bin.

Keep your bins in the shade and ensure lids can close properly by not overfilling the bin.
Empty poo from the nappies into the toilet and wrap nappies tightly in a plastic bag before putting it in the general waste bin.
Hang a small mesh bag (like a jewellery bag) filled with a clay-based kitty litter from the bin handle into the bin to help absorb smells.
Sprinkle baking soda, vinegar or lemon juice in the bin after it has been emptied to reduce odours.

City of Vincent also offers subsidies to City of Vincent Residents for the purchase of Modern Cloth Nappies and Reusable Sanitary Products. Please contact the Waste and Recycling team for more information and keep an eye out on socials for the latest workshops available!

For households producing excess waste and struggling with their general waste bin capacity, the City can offer a general waste bin upgrade to 240ltr bin. The upgrade is subject to assessment (bin must be at capacity and all 3 bins being used correctly for waste sorting). Bin upgrades incur an additional charge, please check our fees and charges. During the assessment visit the Waste Officer can assist residents with optimising their bin capacity. Please contact us for assistance.

There are presently no plans to increase collection of general bins to weekly.

Help with recycling

These tips will help make sure your yellow lid recycling bin doesn't fill up too quickly.

Ensure you are sorting your waste correctly into each of your 3 bins to maximise available space.
Flatten cardboard boxes and put them along the inside edge of the bin to save room.
Ensure recyclables are loose, clean and dry in the bin and not in plastic bags.

If your recycling bin is regularly full, the City can offer a larger 360 litre recycling bin subject to assessment (bin must be at capacity and all 3 bins being used correctly for waste sorting). Bin upgrades incur an additional charge, please check our fees and charges. During the assessment visit the Waste Officer can assist residents with optimising their bin capacity. Please contact us for assistance.

There are presently no plans to increase collection of recycling bins to weekly.

Waste disposal centres

The City does not have tip passes as we do not have a tip in our area. However the Stirling Transfer Station, Brockway and Tamala Park are all open to City of Vincent Residents.

Opening times and fees vary, so we recommend you contact the facilities directly for up-to-date details.

City of Stirling Recycling & Waste Transfer Station

238 Balcatta Road

BALCATTA

City of Stirling
Phone: 9345 8555

More information

West Metro Recycling Centre

Cnr Brockway Road & Lemnos Street

SHENTON PARK

Phone: 9384 2544

More information

Tamala Park

Marmion Avenue
MINDARIE
Phone: 9306 6300

More information

More Languages - How to Sort Your Waste Guide

We have developed the following How to Sort Your Waste Guide with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. It is a handy tool to help you separate your waste streams correctly. You can print off a copy and place on your fridge or near your bin store.

Available to download here in the following languages. If your language is not represented below, please contact our team for further assistance.