Recyclables collection

Your blue lid mixed recycling bin is used for the collection of recyclable containers and paper items.

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When is your next collection?

Recycling bin with blue lid

Your mixed recycling (blue lid) is collected fortnightly on the same day as your general waste collection and the alternate week to your food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin.

Check your next collection day

Waste collection trucks have a mechanical lifting arm, so bins need to be positioned to ensure the mechanical arm can reach and lift. Please follow these instructions to ensure your waste can be collected. 

1. Put bin out by 6am

Bins should be on the kerb by 6am on the day of collection (or the night before).

2. Do not overfill bin

Do not overfill your bin, as this can lead to spillage and litter problems. Please keep all bin lids closed.

Keep your bin under 40kg or it may not be collected. How will you know? It will be very difficult to move.

Do not overfill your bin

3. Keep waste inside bin

Do not place any excess waste on top of or beside your bin.

Do not place excess waste on top of or beside bin

4. Wheels away from road

Place your bins near the kerb or roadside with the wheels away from the road, nearest to the house or property.

5. Give your bin space

Do not place bins in front of one another.

Do not place bins in front of each other

Place your bin 30cm (about 1 foot) away from additional bins to allow space for the mechanical arm to access each bin.

Place your bins at least 1m away from trees, parked cars and all poles, such as light poles or electrical poles. This space is needed for safety reasons.

Keep proper space between bins

6. Keep bins out of truck turning zone

Place bins outside the truck turning zone – this applies to dead end streets and courts. If you are able to, please group bins by lid colour.

Don't place bins in the truck turning zone

Don't place bins in the truck turning zone

7. Multi unit developments

If you live in a multi-unit development, please help our collection drivers by grouping your bins by lid colour, remembering to leave at least 30cm between each bin to allow space for the mechanical arm of the truck to access each bin.

Group bins by lid colour

8. Remove bin from kerb

Please remove bin from kerb within one day of collection.

Support with your bin collection

*Missed collection must be reported within 2 business days of regular scheduled collection.

Dual occupancies, units and flats

Some multi-dwelling developments have a 'share' system for their mixed recycling and food and garden organics bins due to storage and bin placement issues. This is determined on an individual basis by our Waste Management Unit.

What can go in your recycling bin

What can go in your mixed recycling bin

Paper and cardboard

  • advertising materials
  • books
  • boxes (flattened)
  • cardboard
  • cards and postcards
  • cartons
  • cereal boxes
  • deli/butchers paper
  • egg cartons
  • envelopes
  • glossy paper
  • juice cartons
  • junk mail
  • long life milk cartons (e.g. milk, stock cartons, plant based milk)
  • newspapers
  • magazines
  • manilla folders
  • match boxes
  • office paper
  • paper
  • paper bags
  • paper plates
  • paper towel rolls
  • paper/cardboard tubes
  • phone books
  • pizza boxes
  • scrap paper
  • take-away containers
  • telephone books
  • toilet paper rolls
  • washing powder boxes (flattened)
  • wrapping paper

Read more about which plastics can be recycled.

  • berry punnets
  • biscuit trays
  • bottles
  • cake trays
  • cooking oil bottles
  • condiment bottles
  • conditioner bottles
  • cordial bottles
  • cleaning product bottles
  • detergent bottles
  • deodorant roll-ons
  • food trays
  • ice cream containers
  • juice bottles
  • laundry containers
  • margarine containers
  • medicine bottles
  • meat trays
  • milk bottles
  • plastic lids
  • plastic plates
  • plant pots (empty)
  • shampoo bottles
  • soap pump bottles
  • soft drink bottles
  • spray bottles
  • takeaway containers
  • tomato punnets
  • plastic tubs
  • vegetable punnets
  • vitamin bottles
  • water bottles
  • yoghurt containers
  • aerosol cans
    • air freshener spray cans
    • cooking oil spray cans
    • deodorant spray cans
    • hair spray cans
    • inspect spray cans
    • spray paint cans (empty)
    • whipped cream cans
  • aluminium cans
    • beer cans
    • soft drink cans.
  • aluminium trays (scraped clean)
  • aluminium foil, including Easter foil wrapping, with solid food removed (roll into a ball)
  • baby formula tins
  • food cans/tins
    • canned fruit
    • canned vegetables
    • canned soup
    • canned beans
    • canned lentils
    • tuna/fish cans.
  • hot chocolate/drink tins
    • milo tins
    • coffee tins
    • baby formula tins.
  • jar lids
  • oil tins (empty)
  • paint tins (empty)
  • pet food tins.

Glass bottles and jars

Leave metal lids on. Remove plastic lids and place in recycling bin separately.

  • beer bottles
  • condiment bottles and jars
  • cosmetic jars
  • glass bottles
  • glass jars
  • glass medicine bottles
  • soft drink bottles
  • jam jars
  • jars
  • medicine bottle
  • nut butter jar
  • oil bottles (empty)
  • pasta sauce jars
  • pickle jars
  • sauce jars
  • spirit bottles
  • vegemite jars
  • vinegar bottles
  • vitamin bottles
  • wine bottles.

What can't go in your mixed recycling bin

We do not accept:

  • batteries
  • recycling in plastic bags
  • plastic bags
  • soft plastic packaging eg. bread bags, chip packets, pasta packets, frozen peas packets
  • cling wrap
  • window glass*
  • mirrors*
  • drinking glass*
  • light globes*
  • pyrex*
  • polystyrene
  • rubber
  • tissues
  • nappies
  • syringes and needles
  • wood
  • textiles
  • appliances / electronic waste
  • food scraps
  • green waste
  • medical, chemical or hazardous waste
  • waxed or soiled cardboard.

*Please wrap pyrex, white glass, mirrors, drinking glasses, light globes and ceramics in newspaper for safety and put these in your general waste bin.

Find out how to get rid of all your unwanted waste and household items with the A to Z of waste disposal guide.

Contact Council on 1300 88 22 33 if you are unsure what can be recycled in Maroondah.

How to fill your bin

  • Place items loosely in the bin, not in plastic bags
  • Scrape food solids into the FOGO bin.
  • Rinse bottles, jars and cans before placing in the mixed recycling bin - be waterwise and use washing-up water
  • Squash the air out of your plastic milk or soft drink bottles then place the plastic lid back on as this helps the lid to get through the sorting process
  • Tear and crush large cardboard pieces to save space and prevent them from becoming jammed in the bin
  • Do not overfill your bin, as this can lead to spillage and litter problems
  • Keep your mixed recycling bin under 40kg, or it may not be collected
  • Check aerosol cans are empty before placing them in the recycling bin.

Tips for recycling (videos)

Glass

Plastic

Cardboard

What happens to recyclable materials?

Step 1.Mixed recycling is collected

Check your next collection day

Step 2.Recyclables are sorted

Once the truck is full it takes the recyclables to the VISY Recovery Facility in Springvale where a combination of manual (hand) and automated (machine) sorting separates the different materials.

Visy has developed a virtual tour that guides you through a typical Visy Material Recovery Facility. This interactive tour will show you how Visy recovers your recycling materials, and shows how materials are sorted into dedicated streams through manual, mechanical and optical sorting, the use of magnets and eddy currents and much more.

Take the Visy Material Recovery Facility virtual tour

Step 3.Sorted recyclables are reprocessed into new products

Once sorted, recyclables are reprocessed into new products:

  • glass is made into new glass bottles and road base
  • paper and cardboard is recycled back into newspapers, packaging, toilet paper, insulation and building products
  • plastic containers are made into textiles, trays, garbage bins and plant pots
  • steel and aerosol cans are used to make new cans, train tracks and building materials
  • aluminium cans are turned into new aluminium cans

View the fact sheets to find out more.

Please note: The fact sheets show a yellow lidded recycling bin as this is the National Standard colour that all Council's must move towards by 2030.

Glass recycling process fact sheet(PDF, 829KB)

Paper and cardboard recycling process fact sheet(PDF, 851KB)

Plastics recycling process fact sheet(PDF, 846KB)

Steel recycling process fact sheet(PDF, 838KB)

Aluminium recycling process fact sheet(PDF, 768KB)

Frequently asked questions

Dual occupancies, units and flats

Some multi-dwelling developments have a 'share' system for their mixed recycling and food and garden organics bins due to storage and bin placement issues. This is determined on an individual basis by our Waste Management Unit.

Further information

For more information please contact Council on 1300 88 22 33 or email maroondah@maroondah.vic.gov.au.

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