How to recycle in Perth

We love encouraging our local community to be more environmentally responsible and hope that we can all enjoy doing the right thing with our waste!

Eliminating excess waste all together is the priority, but we understand that in today’s world it’s extremely difficult to become 100% zero waste.

Recycling can very quickly become a confusing and daunting thing when you start trying to figure out the "right" way to recycle as much of your waste as possible. We hope that this Perth recycling guide helps our local community figure out the ins and outs of recycling in Perth.

With all of these recycling avenues, it is important that all items are clean and dry (for example, wash any item that has been in contact with food as unwashed items cause contamination and can pose a health risk to recycling workers).

What Can Be Recycled In Your Curbside Yellow-Top Bin

Different local councils follow different recycling programs in Perth; we have some suburbs with a two-bin system and some with a three-bin system (i.e. some areas now have access to a third organic waste bin collection). Whichever system your area has, the following list covers what CAN be accepted through most recycling (yellow-top) bin curbside collections:

• Hard plastic bottles & containers
• Steel & aluminium cans
• Aluminium foil scrunched into a fist-sized ball
• Cardboard & paper (not shredded, compacted boxes, and no grease)
• Glass jars & bottles (lids removed)
• Find out what to do with jar lids, bottle lids, and other lids in this article

What To Do With Soft Plastics

**UPDATED: 14 NOVEMBER 2022 - REDCYCLE PROGRAM SUSPENDED!**

Unfortunately due to challenges in the market for soft plastics, the Redcycle program is currently suspended across Australia. We would love to see this program reinstated soon. Please write to your local Member and the major supermarket chains to request they invest in finding an urgent solution to the plastic problem.

This awesome Australian program used to take the nation's soft plastics and turn them into a wide range of recycled-plastic products; from fitness circuits to sturdy outdoor furniture, bollards, signage and more. We urgently need a new solution for soft plastics recycling. We would also like to see more action at source to compel manufacturers and retailers to reduce the amount of single use packaging they are producing, and a switch to compostable materials wherever possible.

What We Collect At Urban Revolution For Recycling

We have a community Recycling Station inside our Perth Garden and Home store that we send to TerraCycle to be recycled properly. Here is a list of what can be dropped off for recycling at our Vic Park store in Perth (updated October 2024):

• Plastic bread tags
• Dish and air care waste (any brand of dishwashing or air freshening products including bottles/aerosols/spray bottles/dishwasher tablet packaging/air fresheners & refills)
• *CLOSED UNTIL 2025: Oral care (any oral care product or packaging including toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes and floss containers. NO electric toothbrush bases)
• Hair care (any brand of used hair aerosol packaging with lids ON, hair care, hair colour and gloves)
• Disposable razors and razor packaging
• Skincare packaging made from plastic and glass

Updated: October 2024

We often get asked about blister pack recycling. If medication packs are made of a single material (for example aluminium foil), they can be scrunched into a large ball and placed in your kerbside recycling bin. All other blister packs that are made of mixed materials, such as part plastic and part foil, cannot be easily recycled in Perth at the moment.

A growing number of pharmacies are signed up to the Pharmacycle program for blister pack recycling, including many branches of Chemist Warehouse and Blooms the Chemist. Check the Pharmacycle website for more info and locations.

The TerraCycle Australia website is a great resource for finding other TerraCycle collection points near you.

We also have an Abundance Basket at our Vic Park store for community sharing of resources and fresh produce. Find out more here.

Where To Take Other Hard-To-Recycle Items

Use These Resources To Find Other Drop-Off Points:

Search Planet Ark's 'Recycling Near You' database to find where to take hard-to-recycle materials: https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/

Search for TerraCycle Public Collection points near you: http://www.terracyclemap.com/

Search Recycle Right's A to Z recycling guide if you're unsure about a certain item: https://recycleright.wa.gov.au/a-z/

Search Pharmacycle's blister pack recycling locations: https://www.pharmacycle.com.au/find-a-location