Knowing which bin to use, and how to recycle or dispose of household waste sustainably, can be confusing. That’s why we've created a handy list of common types of waste and how to dispose of them. Check the list below to find out which bin to use at home and which items you can take to one of Council’s waste and recycling centres.

If you're still unsure which items go in which bin, call Kempsey Shire Council’s Waste Hotline on 1300 342 207

What goes where?

A

Aerosol cans

Empty aerosol cans go in your yellow bin.

Aluminium cans

Put clean, empty aluminium cans in your yellow bin.

Aluminium foil and containers

Aluminium foil and containers go in your red bin.

Asbestos

Asbestos is only accepted at the Waste Management Centre on Crescent Head Road. Strict procedures apply.

Ash

Put cool ash in your green bin.

B

Battery - car

You can drop off car batteries for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

Battery - single use and rechargeable

Drop off batteries for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

Bottles

Put clean bottles in your yellow bin.
Note: Put broken glass, lids and bottle tops in your red bin.

Bones

Put meat bones, raw or cooked, in your green bin.

Books

Donate books to a charity shop or, if damaged, put in your yellow bin.

Bubble wrap

Put bubble wrap in your red bin. Otherwise, you can put A3 sized pieces in the REDcycle bin at any Coles or Woolworths supermarket.

C-D

Cans (steel, tin, aluminium)

Put clean, empty cans in your yellow bin or take them to a Return and Earn collection point.

Cardboard

Put cardboard in your yellow bin. Boxes should be flattened.

Carpet

You can put small amounts of carpet in your red bin. Larger quantities can be taken to a Council waste and recycling centre.

Cellophane

Put cellophane in your red bin. Otherwise, you can put A3 sized pieces in the REDcycle bin at any Coles or Woolworths supermarket.

Ceramics

Put ceramics in your red bin. Ceramics include plates, cups, saucers, crockery, porcelain and china.

Clothing and textiles

Donate clothing in good condition to a charity shop. Put clothing in poor condition in your red bin.

Coffee cups (disposable)

But disposable coffee cups in your red bin, as these can’t be recycled.
Hint: Buy and use a reusable coffee cup. Your cafe can put your coffee straight into your own cup.

Coffee grounds

Put coffee grounds in your green bin.

Coffee pods

Put coffee pods in your red bin or contact the manufacturer for recycling options.

E

Egg cartons

Put egg cartons in your yellow bin. They must be clean.

e-Waste

You can drop off e-waste for free at any Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre. E-waste includes televisions, computers, towers, keyboards, mouse, joysticks, VCRs, DVD players, gaming consoles, hi-fi equipment, faxes, printers and multi-functions, laptops, tablets and micro-stereos.

F

Fire extinguishers

Drop fire extinguishers off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre.

Foam (polystyrene)

Put foam in your red bin. Examples of foam items include meat trays, protective packaging, foam cups, foam bedding, furniture, toy and cushion stuffing. You can also take small amounts of foam, styrofoam and polystyrene to the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

Food waste

Put food waste in your green bin. Food waste includes meat, chicken, fish, bones, fruit and vegetable scraps, cake, bread, rice, pasta and dairy products. Unwanted pet food can also go in the green bin.

Fruit and vegetable scraps

Put fruit and vegetable scraps in your green bin.

G

Garden waste

Put garden waste in your green bin. Garden waste includes lawn clippings, prunings, small sticks, twigs, flowers and leaves. Large stumps and branches must be taken to a Council waste and recycling centre.

Gas bottles

Gas bottles can be dropped off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

Glass

Put glass in your red bin. Examples include glass mirrors, windows, light globes, drinking glasses and broken glass jars. Clean, unbroken glass jars can go in the yellow bin

H

Hazardous waste and cleaning products

Household chemicals and cleaning products must not be put in domestic bins because they are dangerous to residents, waste collectors, waste facility staff and the environment. Drop household quantities off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre.

I

Ink cartridges

You can drop off empty laser and inkjet cartridges at a Council waste and recycling centre.

Ice cream containers

Put clean, empty ice cream containers in your yellow bin.

J

Juice cartons

Put juice cartons in your yellow bin.

Junk mail

Put junk mail in your yellow bin. Remove plastic wrapping or rubber bands first.

K

Kitty litter

Put kitty litter in your red bin.

L

Lawn clippings

Put lawn clippings in your green bin.

Light bulbs

Put non-fluorescent light bulbs in the red bin. You can drop off fluorescent tubes and globes free at any Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

M

Magazines

Put unwanted magazines in your yellow bin. Remove plastic wrapping or rubber bands first.

Meat trays

Put foam meat trays in the red bin. Clean plastic meat trays numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 can go in your yellow bin.

Medical waste

Speak to your doctor or pharmacy about safe disposal methods for medical waste.

Medicine

Clean, empty medicine bottles can go in your yellow bin. Unused medicines can be returned to a pharmacy for safe disposal.

Milk cartons

Put clean, empty milk cartons in your yellow bin.

Mirror glass

Put mirror glass in your red bin.

Mobile phones

Council’s Customer Services Centre, local libraries and all Council waste facilities have MobileMuster collection bins for old mobile phones.

N

Nappies (disposable)

Put disposable nappies in your red bin.

Newspapers

Put newspapers in your yellow bin. Remove plastic wrapping or rubber bands first.

Needles or syringes

Kempsey Shire has community needles and sharps bins at many convenient locations.

O

Oil - cooking

Up to 20 litres of cooking oil can be dropped off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

Oil - motor

Up to 20 litres of motor oil can be dropped off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

P-R

Paint - solvent based

Solvent-based paint can be identified by the red flammable logo on the tin. You can drop off up to 20 litres for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

If you have a large amount of paint, consider donating it to a community organisation or charity that can use it.

Paint - water based

You can drop off up to 20 litres for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.
If you have a large amount of paint, consider donating it to a community organisation or charity that can use it.

Paper

Put paper in your yellow bin. Shredded paper can go in your green bin.

Paper towel (clean or soiled)

Put paper towel in your green bin.

Pens and pencils

Put old pens and pencils in your red bin.

Pet waste or droppings

Put pet waste in your red bin.
Hint: Pet waste can also be buried in your garden.

Pizza boxes

Empty pizza boxes that don’t contain food scraps can go in your yellow bin for recycling.
Pizza boxes containing food scraps can’t be recycled and go in your green bin.

Phone books

Put old phone books in your yellow bin.

Plant pots (plastic)

Put plastic pots in your red bin.

Plastics (numbers 1-7)

Put clean plastic bottles and containers with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in your yellow bin.

Plastic bags

Put plastic bags in your red bin or a REDcycle bin at any Coles or Woolworths supermarket.

S

Scrap metal

Drop scrap metal off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre.

Seafood, fish, shellfish

Put seafood in your green bin.
Hint: Freeze seafood waste until the day before bin collection day to reduce odours.

Smoke detectors

Drop smoke detectors off for free at a Council waste and recycling centre or the Mobile Community Recycling Centre.

Straws

Put straws in your red bin.

Syringes or sharps

Kempsey Shire has community needles and sharps bins at many convenient locations.

T-V

Takeaway containers (plastic)

Put clean plastic bottles and containers with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in your yellow bin.
Note: Foam containers must be put in the red bin. Any leftover food should be put in the green bin.

Teabags

Put teabags in your green bin.

Tissues

Put used tissues in your green bin.

Toys

You can donate any toys in good condition to a local charity. Otherwise, put old toys in your red bin.

Tyres

Tyres can be taken to a Council waste and recycling centre.

W

Weeds

Put weeds in your green bin.

Whitegoods

Drop off whitegoods for free at a Council waste and recycling centre. Whitegoods include fridges, washing machines and dishwashers.

Wine cask box

Put cardboard boxes from wine casks in your yellow bin.

Window glass

Put window glass in your red bin.

Wood/timber

You can put non-treated timber in your green bin. Treated timber or MDF (chipboard) can go in your red bin or taken to a Council waste and recycling centre. Large stumps and branches should be taken to a Council waste and recycling centre.

Wine cask bladder

Put the inner foil bag from a wine cask in your red bin or in a REDcycle bin at any Coles or Woolworths supermarket.

X-Z

X-rays

Drop off X-rays at Council’s Customer Service centre in West Kempsey or take to a Council waste and recycling centre.