General Recyclable Waste
If you’ve got too much recycling to fit in your bin, it’s an easy enough fix. Canberra has 6 recycling drop-off centres, open 24/7:
- Jolly Street, Belconnen
- 3 O’Brien Place, Gungahlin
- 22-26 Baillieu Circuit, Mitchell
- 38 Botany Street, Phillip
- Scollay Street, Tuggeranong
Dropping off at all these recycling centres is free of charge. They accept glass bottles and jars, aluminium and steel cans, paper and flat cardboard. Sharps are accepted at all the centres except for Gunghalin.
It’s important to remember that these facilities don’t accept polystyrene, soft plastics or landfill waste. They have CCTV and won’t hesitate to slap you with any illegal dumping fee, so don’t even try it!
ACT Container Deposit Scheme
The ACT has a dedicated initiative for recycling cans, bottles and cartons to help reduce littering. Best of all, you get 10 cents for every single item you deposit at designated return points. It seems small, but that can add up quickly if you’re a soda addict.
There are 22 return points spread out across Canberra, and the deposit scheme has a handy map to help you find the one closest to you.
E-Waste
If you’ve got defunct electronics lying around – like an old TV, out-of-use printer, or a mobile phone that’s reached the end of its useful life – it can be hard to know the best way to dispose of them properly.
While it might be tempting to leave the bulkier items out for hard rubbish collection or your old phone sitting in a dusty drawer, electronics contain valuable materials like aluminium, gold, silver and copper that can be extracted for reuse. This means that fewer raw materials need to be extracted and processed to make new products, so it’s important to recycle them properly.
If your electronic gadgets are still in good condition, you can drop them off for free at The Green Shed, resell them or pass them along to a friend or family member.
If you’ve got electronics that are completely broken, you can take advantage of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme and drop them off at one of Canberra’s resource management centres. Just make sure you remove the batteries first to dispose of them separately.
If you own Apple products, you can also recycle your gadgets for free at your local Apple store as part of their Apple GiveBack program.
Officeworks also has a similar program for recycling:
- Desktops
- Laptops
- Computer mice
- Monitors
- Printers (printer cartridges must be removed)
- Scanners
- Keyboards
- Computer and IT accessories
Mobile Phones
If you’ve got a mobile phone or smartwatch that has no resale value, you can drop it off at Mobile Muster collection point to be recycled. You can find these all across Canberra at electronics stores, or send your phone to Mobile Muster through the post free of charge.
According to the ACT Government, Mobile Muster recovers 99% of the materials in a mobile phone, making it well worth recycling for the environment.
If your phone still works, you can donate it to Givit, a reputable organisation that refurbishes phones to donate them to vulnerable people in Australia, as well as other items.
Batteries
In the ACT, all batteries are classed as hazardous waste. This means you can’t put them in your household landfill or recycling bin for safety and environmental reasons. They can’t be placed in skip bins for the same reason, either.
Batteries can pose a high fire risk. In 2022, it was batteries that caused the Hume Recycling Centre to catch a light. It’s been out of operation ever since – goes to show that rules surrounding battery disposal in the ACT are no joke.
Thankfully, Canberra offers a simple way to dispose of your discarded batteries safely with ‘B-Cycle’. To dispose of your batteries with the federally sponsored initiative, tape the ends with tape and place them in a plastic or glass container. This helps prevent the risk of fire.
Once you’ve done that, you’re all ready to drop them off at your nearest accredited B-cycle drop-off point. There are dozens all around the ACT, and most of them are conveniently located inside supermarkets in every suburb – so there’s no excuse not to dispose of your batteries safely!
Reusable Items
One of the easiest ways to do your part for the environment is to limit the number of items in landfill that could have a home elsewhere. Next time you’re decluttering, take a moment to consider if your trash could be another man’s treasure.
If an item is still in relatively good condition and serves its function, consider donating it to an organisation like St.Vincents or the Red Cross. Alternatively, you can post the item on your local ‘Buy Nothing’ group on Facebook to give it a good home in your community.
Clothing, Blankets, And Fabrics
If you have clothing, blankets and fabrics that are in good condition, either reselling them or donating them to charity is always recommended rather than putting them in your rubbish bin.
Even if your items aren’t suitable for a second home, they can still be recycled or repurposed. Here are some ways you can prevent even your most tattered clothes from ending up in landfill:
- All H&M stores have a Garment Recycling Collection Box. You can place any fabric material in these boxes, even underwear, old socks, ripped tights, or old towels.
- You can return old sheets and towels to any Sheridan store to be recycled.
- ACT Wildlife and Wildcare Queanbeyan accept textile and fabric donations for use in animal welfare.
- Upparel is an Australian clothing recycling organisation that you can send your old clothes to for a fee.
It’s important to note that clothing, blankets and fabrics can’t be put in your normal recycling bin at home because they can get tangled during the recycling process and damage the machinery. Make sure you recycle them through a dedicated service and always donate or resell what you can.
Green Waste
Green waste, or garden waste, includes any organic and biodegradable waste that can composted. This includes:
- Grass clippings
- Shrub and yard clippings
- Branches
- Woodchips, bark, branches and wood
- Weeds
You can register to get a 240-litre green bin on the ACT website for one one-off fee of $50 if you don’t already have one. It’s important that any green waste you have goes in a green bin or that you drop it off at the Mugga Way Collection Centre. This stops it from being turned into harmful greenhouse gas in landfill. Instead, it’s turned into compost or mulch.
Hazardous Materials
The ACT government defines hazardous waste as anything that could have a substantial or potential threat to public health or the environment. This includes anything toxic, flammable, corrosive or reactive. Some examples include aerosol cans, fuel and oil, cleaning products, batteries, asbestos, and electronics.
It’s imperative for both the environment and public health that any hazardous waste is kept out of your household bins and skip bins. Instead, you can drop off most types of hazardous waste at either the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre or the Mitchell Resource Management Centre.
If you’re unsure if something is classified as hazardous waste in the ACT or how to dispose of it, you can check out the ACT Government’s Recyclopedia. It’s an exhaustive list of how different items should be disposed of and a great resource to make sure you’re doing the right thing.
Mattresses
If your mattress can’t be donated or resold, the best option is to drop it off at Soft Landing in Hume, a nationwide social enterprise that recycles mattresses and recovers 75% of the components. You can drop off a mattress for $42 or have it picked up for $68.
Alternatively, you can drop your old mattress off at one of the resource management centres for $46.
Furniture And Other Bulky Waste
Most furniture can be recycled, especially if it’s made from wood or metal. However, you can’t put it in your recycling wheely bin (even if you can get it to fit) as it can damage the machinery.
Instead, you can drop it off at one of the resource management centres to be recycled or book your annual free bulky waste collection from the ACT Government. Booking a bulky waste collection service is a great chance to do a spring clean and dispose of any larger items properly without having to go to the tip.
Bulky waste collection accepts most items except hazardous waste, green waste, and construction waste. For a full list of what they can and can’t pick up, make sure to check their website.
You can also get rid of mattresses as part of your annual bulky waste collection for a $42 fee.
Plastic
Not all plastic waste can be recycled. For example, any soft plastics like plastic bags or coffee cup lids have to go into the rubbish bin rather than the recycling bin.
It’s also important to note that different types of hard plastic are made out of different types of resin, and some of these types can’t be recycled. Every plastic item in Australia has a plastic identification code on it that lets you know if can be recycled or not. ACT City Sercies has a chart to help you understand the codes.
White Goods
The term ‘white goods’ refers to household appliances like fridges, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, and dishwashers. If you have white goods that are surplus to your needs but are in good working order, you drop them off free at the Green Shed or resell them.
If your appliances don’t work at all, it’s important to dispose of them safely to prevent freons from polluting the air with carbon dioxide and, ideally, recycle them for their recoverable metal. You can either drop white goods off at one of the resources management centres or have them picked up in a bulky waste collection.
ActewAGL also has a fridge buyback program. They’ll collect working fridges in return for a $30 credit to your electricity account.
Construction And Demolition Waste
If you’re doing a home renovation, you might be surprised by the amount of debris that quickly adds up and be at a loss as to what to do with it. According to ACT regulation, you can’t just put it in your wheely bin. Most construction and demolition waste can be recycled and recovered and is highly useful, so doing your bit to ensure it has another life is important.
You can drop construction waste off at one of the resource management centres for a fee or to a business that specialises in construction waste recycling, like ACT Recycling in Symonston. Alternatively, consider hiring a skip during your renovation process – it’ll make the whole process a lot smoother and save you a few trips to the resource management centre with a boot full of heavy materials.
