What’s going in your yellow-lid bin?

Did you know the yellow-lid recycling bin is one of the most powerful tools available at home to protect the environment?

It is designed to keep valuable materials out of landfill and give them a second life – but only if used correctly.

Too many recyclable items are still ending up in general waste bins across the Bundaberg Region, missing the opportunity to be reused, repurposed or recycled into something new.

That’s why Bundaberg Regional Council, through the Let’s Get it Sorted campaign, is urging residents to take a moment and check what’s going into the yellow-lid bin.

There are five main types of materials that can be recycled in the region’s yellow-lid bins:

• Glass jars and containers
• Clean paper and cardboard
• Hard plastic containers
• Steel containers
• Aluminium foil, cans and empty aerosols

Waste and Recycling portfolio spokesperson Cr Gary Kirk said ensuring these items were the only ones to be placed in the bins would improve recycling habits across the region.

“Recycling properly helps conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and cut down the amount of waste we send to landfill,” he said.

“Every time we sort our rubbish correctly we’re making a real difference to the future of our communities.”

What happens to our recycling?

The recyclables from the yellow-lid bins are sorted by hand and processed at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

This facility is operated by Impact Community Services under a program established to provide employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities.

Cr Kirk said currently, 18% of the region’s yellow-lid bins were contaminated and sent to landfill.

He encouraging everyone to sort their recycling for a better environment.

“If we can lift our recycling rates to match those of other states, we’ll do great things for our environment and community,” he said.

“Please remember that items like food scrap, soft plastics and nappies cannot be placed in the yellow-lid bin.

Make sure they go in your general waste bin to avoid contamination and ensure that recyclable materials don’t go to waste.”

The Let’s Get it Sorted Initiative is supported by the Queensland Government’s Recycling and Jobs Fund.

For a full list of what goes where click here or download the RecycleMate app.