Stepping off the fast fashion treadmill
Fast fashion – mass-produced clothing sold at throwaway prices – has become one of Australia’s biggest environmental problems.
WA's A-to-Z recycling guide
Posted on: July 10, 2020
You aren’t alone if you’ve found yourself asking “What bin should this go in?”
In Western Australia most households have at least two bins to use for their waste – a general waste bin (generally red or green lids) and a recycling bin (yellow lid bin, sometimes blue). A growing number also have a third bin – one that’s either exclusively for garden waste, or a ‘FOGO’ bin, for food waste and garden waste (lime green lid).
This handy A-to-Z guide has been developed to help you to separate and sort your waste correctly.
If you cannot find the item you are looking for it’s best to check your local government’s waste services calendar, their website or give them a call.
If you’re after an overview about what can go in your recycling bin why not take a look at our article on recycling basics.
A-to-Z Guide on Where to Put Your Household Waste
Items to go in your kerbside recycling bin
All items should be rinsed, and placed in the bin loose, with lids off.
- A
- Aluminium cans
- Aluminium foil (clean and scrunched in a ball at least 5 cm diameter)
- B
- Beer bottles, cans and cartons
- Bottles
- Bottle lids – remove
- Broken glass
- C
- Cardboard (boxes and other types – flattened)
- Cereal boxes
- Coffee jars and cans (without lids)
- Cosmetic jars (no lids)
- D
- Deodorant – roll on (lid off)
- Drink cans
- E
- Egg cartons
- Envelopes
- F
- Food cans
- Fruit juice cartons (no long-life cartons/foil lined)
- G
- Glass bottles and jars (lids off)
- Glossy magazines/brochures
- I
- Ice cream containers (cardboard and plastic, lids separated)
- J
- Jars (lids off)
- Jar lids (only metal)
- Junk mail
- L
- Lolly wrappers
- M
- Magazines
- Margarine tubs (lids separated)
- Milk bottles and cartons (lids off)
- N
- Newspapers (clean, no plastic wrap)
- P
- Paper (not shredded)
- Paper bags (clean)
- Pet food cans/tins
- Plastic containers (palm sized or larger)
- Plastic lids (lids removed)
- Plastic water bottles (lids removed)
- Punnets (empty)
- S
- Sauce bottles (lids removed)
- Soft drink bottles (lids removed)
- Soft drink cans
- Spirit bottles (lids off)
- Steel cans
- T
- Take-away plastic food containers (rinsed, lids removed)
- Toilet rolls
- W
- Water bottles (lids removed)
- Wine bottles (lids removed)
- Y
- Yoghurt plastic containers
Items to go in your FOGO bin (if you have one)
If you do not have a FOGO bin these items should go in your general waste bin or be composted. Don't forget to remove the packaging from your food scraps before you add them to your FOGO bin.
- A
- Apple cores
- B
- Bones and shells
- Branches (small)
- Bread
- Bin liners (certified compostable caddy liners)
- C
- Coffee grounds
- Compostable bin liners
- D
- Dairy scraps
- E
- Egg shells
- F
- Flowers
- Fruit scraps
- G
- Garden waste
- K
- Kitty litter (compostable varieties only)
- L
- Lawn clippings
- Leaves
- M
- Meat scraps
- N
- Newspaper - soiled (non-priority FOGO feedstock)
- O
- Out-of-date food (unpackaged)
- P
- Paper shredded (non-priority FOGO feedstock)
- Paper towels/napkins (non-priority FOGO feedstock)
- Peels (fruit and vegetable)
- S
- Seafood (including shells)
- T
- Tea bags
- Tissues (non-priority FOGO feedstock)
- Twigs
- W
- Weeds
- Wood – plant cuttings
Items to go in your general waste bin
Preferred option is to drop off recyclable items at a collection point for recovery (subject to availability). Please contact your local government to find suitable drop-off locations available in your area.
- A
- Ash (once cold)
- B
- Baking paper
- Balloons
- Band-aids
- Barbecue charcoal (once cold)
- Baskets (cane, wooden and plastic)
- Beads (polystyrene / styrofoam)
- Biodegradable packaging
- Bin liners (biodegradable)
- C
- Candles and candle wax
- Car restraints/seat belts (cut)
- Cassette tapes
- CDs/DVDs
- Ceramics
- Christmas decorations
- Cigarette butts
- Condoms
- Clothes hangers
- Clothing and textiles (old/damaged)
- Coffee cups – take-away
- Compostable coffee cups / pods
- Compostable nappies
- Compostable take-away containers
- Cookware
- Corks
- Cotton wool and cotton buds
- Covid-19 tests (double bagged)
- Cups and saucers
- Cutlery
- D
- Dental floss
- Disposable nappies
- Disposable razors
- DVDs
- F
- Face masks
- Fishing line and hooks
- Foam
- Food-soiled packaging
- Fruit juice cartons (foil-lined)
- G
- Glad wrap
- Gloves – disposable
- Grease proof paper/baking paper
- H
- Hose (cut into short lengths)
- I
- Inflatable pool toys
- K
- Kitty litter (non-compostable varieties)
- Knives
- L
- Leaver arch files
- Long-life cartons (foil lined)
- M
- Magnets
- Meat trays – plastic and foam
- Milk bottle lids
- Mirrors – broken Mouse traps
- N
- Nappies
- P
- Pens / biros / textas / pencils / felt tips
- Photographs
- Picture frames
- Pillows
- Pizza box (soiled/oily)
- Placemats
- Plastic meat trays
- Polystyrene
- R
- Rags
- Razors
- Rope - cut into short lengths
- S
- Sanitary items
- Soft drink bottle lids
- Soft plastics
- Small plastic items (lids and bread tags)
- Straws
- Styrofoam
- T
- Take-away coffee cups
- Take-away food containers (dirty or compostable)
- Tampons
- Tetrapacks
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste tubes
- Toys - damaged
- V
- Vacuum cleaner dust
- Video tapes
Items to keep OUT of your kerbside bins
These items don’t belong in your kerbside bins. If you can, try to donate rather than throw them out.
* May be collected during bulk waste verge side collection. If you do not have a collection contact your local government or regional council to find out where to take them.
- B
- Barbecues*
- Batteries
- Bicycle parts
- Blankets
- Bleach
- Blinds*
- Books
- Brake fluid
- Bricks and building materials
- Bulky items* (whitegoods, furniture etc)
- C
- Car batteries
- Car parts
- Carpet*
- Chairs*
- Chemical drums
- Christmas lights – no longer working*
- Christmas tree – artificial*
- Cleaning products and containers
- Cockroach baits
- Coffee pods
- Colorbond fencing
- Computer parts
- Concrete
- E
- Electrical appliances or equipment – no longer working*
- Electrical cables
- F
- Fencing
- Fertiliser
- Fibreglass
- Fire extinguishers
- Fishing rods*
- Flammable liquids
- Flares
- Fridges*
- Furniture*
- G
- Garden chemicals/poison
- Gardening tools*
- Gas cylinders
- Glasses – spectacles
- Guttering
- H
- Hair dye bottles
- Hard drives
- Hose (long lengths)*
- K
- Kitchen sinks*
- L
- Lattice*
- Lawn mowers*
- Light bulbs
- M
- Masonite
- Mattresses
- Medicines
- Mineral turpentine
- Mirrors (large)*
- Mobile phones and chargers
- Modems
- Mops and brooms*
- Motor oil and containers
- O
- Office chairs*
- Oil filters and motor oil
- P
- Paint, paint stripper and paint thinners including paint tins
- Pallets*
- Pavers
- Perspex
- Pest control chemicals and containers
- Petrol and flammable liquids
- Plastic sheets – tarpaulin or drop sheets*
- Poison
- Pool chemicals
- Prams and strollers*
- Printer cartridges
- Q
- Quilts
- R
- Rags with oil*
- Rat poison
- Rope (long lengths)*
- Rubber tyres
- S
- Shoe polish
- Smoke alarms
- Soil
- T
- Tiles
- Timber*
- Toasters*
- Tyres
- U
- USBs
- V
- Varnish
- Vertical and venetian blinds*
- Vinyl
- W
- White goods*
- Wooden planks/bits of furniture*
- X
- X-ray film
Inspired to Own Your Impact?
If you’re motivated to reduce how much waste you’re producing why not take a look at some of our other articles, including learning how local repair cafes can help you to fix broken items, why the Buy Nothing movement is gaining such momentum in our communities and the benefits of joining a toy library.
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