Let’s get recycling sorted

Overview

The "Let's Get it Sorted" campaign aims to help the community improve their recycling habits, and is supported by the Queensland Government’s Recycling and Jobs Fund.

What goes in your yellow lid bin?

In Logan, approximately 5,000 tonnes of recyclable material were lost in general waste bins in 2023/2024, highlighting a crucial need for better recycling practices.

Recycling is a powerful way to make a positive impact on our environment and secure a sustainable future for generations to come. By adhering to simple recycling rules, we can conserve precious natural resources, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the strain on our landfills.

Let’s get it sorted, Logan!

The 5 materials you can recycle in your yellow lid bin

Number 5 with list of recyclable items metal, cardboard, firm plastic, glass and paper listed

These are the 5 materials you should place in your yellow recycling bin. Ensuring only these items go into your yellow lid bin helps prevent contamination and keeps your recyclables from ending up in landfill.

Metal
Cardboard
Firm plastic
Glass
Paper

These items CAN go in your yellow lid bin

Item	Description
Metal	Canned food tins and pet food tins, drink cans, empty aerosols, pie trays and foil from the kitchen, which should be scrunched into a ball.
Cardboard	Cardboard boxes, egg cartons, pizza boxes, toilet rolls, cereal boxes, juice and milk cartons.
Firm plastic bottles and containers	Milk bottles, shampoo bottles, ice cream tubs, fruit punnets, detergent and soap bottles.
Glass bottles and jars	Beverage bottles, jam jars and sauce bottles, juice bottles and oil bottles. Lids can be left on.
Paper	Glossy magazines, wrapping paper, newspapers and printer paper.

These items CAN'T go in your yellow lid bin

Did you know that when these items are placed in your yellow lid bin it may mean your recycling goes to landfill? Some items can also damage the sorting machines and create safety problems for workers.

Item	What to do
Recyclables in plastic bags Plastic bags and bin liners	Do not bag your recyclables. Recyclables in plastic bags cause contamination and may lead to recyclable materials being sent to landfill. Keep your recyclables loose.
Soft plastics Food wrappers and plastic film	If you can scrunch it in your hands, then it's soft plastic. Currently, Queenslanders don’t have access to soft plastic recycling via supermarket retailers. Put soft plastics in the general waste bin. Try to reduce your plastic usage or avoid them altogether.
Coffee cups and lids Coffee cups and lids, disposable paper cups, fast food takeaway cups	Coffee cups are typically made of paper with a thin plastic lining (usually polyethylene) to make them waterproof. This combination of materials makes it difficult for recycling. Place coffee cups and lids in your general waste bin (red or dark green lid).
Food or garden waste Fruits and vegetables, food leftovers, grass clippings, tree and shrub pruning	Garden waste can't go in the yellow lid bin and should be placed in your garden waste bin (lime green lid). If you don't have a green waste bin, you can drop garden waste off for free at Council's waste and recycling facilities or place it in your general waste bin (red or dark green lid). Food waste can't go in the yellow lid bin and should be placed in your general waste bin (red or dark green lid) or in a composting bin or worm farm system.
Clothes and textiles Clothes, shoes, bedding, towels, tablecloths, rugs and carpet	Try selling or donating unwanted clothes, repurposing old clothes and textiles into cleaning rags, or donating old towels to your local animal shelter or hospital. You can donate clothes and textiles in good condition to the Logan Recycling Market. Drop these off for free at any of Council's waste and recycling facilities.
Batteries and hazardous waste Batteries, paint and chemicals, gas bottles, asbestos	Hazardous materials in bins area fire and environmental risk and are harmful to people and the planet. Some hazardous materials are collected at Council’s waste and recycling facilities.
E-waste Mobile phones, computers, TVs, home appliances, cables and chargers, gaming consoles	Never put e-waste or mobile phones in the bin. E-waste can contain toxic and hazardous materials that can cause fires. You can deposit any electronic item that uses a battery or has a cord at all Council’s waste and recycling facilities.
Rigid plastics Old toys, kitchenware, plant pots and materials like PVC piping	Items around your home made of hard/rigid plastic, that are not plastic bottles and containers, can't be recycled through your yellow lid bin. You can donate items that are in good condition to the Logan Recycling Market. Drop these off for free at any of Council’s waste and recycling facilities. Items that are not resalable can be disposed of in your general waste bin (red or dark green lid).

Tips for getting it sorted

Keep it clean

Scrape out all food containers and pizza boxes before they go into the yellow lid bin.
Empty all bottles and cans and if you’re unsure, give it a quick rinse. This helps prevent contamination and ensures that the recycling process runs smoothly.

Make sorting simple

Keep a separate collection container for recyclables in your kitchen, laundry and bathroom.
Some items are made up of recyclable and non-recyclable materials. Separate soft plastics coverings from food packaging and place them in the general waste bin (red or dark green lid), to ensure the rest of the packaging can be recycled.

Keep it loose

Don’t put your recyclables in a bag or bin liner, as they cannot be sorted and will end up in landfill.
Keep your recycling loose when it goes into your yellow lid bin.
Keeping it loose also means recycling can be sorted and processed more easily and efficiently.
Don’t over compact your yellow lid bin so materials get stuck when emptying it.

Keep lids on

Plastic bottle caps and lids from your recyclable containers should be left on.
Lids from glass bottles and jars should be left on.
Do not put plastic bottle lids into the yellow lid bin by themselves. They are too small for the sorting machinery to process.

Not all items can be recycled through your yellow lid bin

Many household items are not suitable for recycling through your yellow lid bin, but can be recycled through Council's waste and recycling facilities.
Items in good condition can be donated to the Logan Recycling Market.

Frequently asked questions

What can go in the yellow lid bin?

The following items can be placed in the yellow lid bin:

Glass containers (empty), including jars and bottles
Paper (not shredded), including printing paper, glossy magazines and newspapers
Cardboard (clean), including cardboard boxes and pizza boxes
Firm plastic containers (empty) including drink bottles, shampoo bottles, yoghurt and ice cream tubs
Steel containers (empty), including tin food cans or pet food tins
Drink cans, aerosols and aluminium foil (scrunch foil into a ball).

What can’t go in the yellow lid bin?

The following items cannot go in the yellow lid bin:

Recyclables inside plastic bags
Soft plastics, e.g. soft plastic film over a meat tray, snack wrappers, cereal box liners
Food or garden waste
Clothes and textiles
Rigid plastics, e.g. toys, kitchenware, plant pots, PVC pipes
Other types of glass or broken glass, e.g. mirrors, light bulbs, pottery, drinkware
Batteries and hazardous waste, e.g. all types of batteries, paint and chemicals, gas bottles, asbestos
E-waste, e.g. mobile phones, computers, TVs, home appliances, cables and chargers, gaming consoles.

Rinsing - do I need to rinse before recycling?

Food containers, pizza boxes, bottles and all other items need to be empty and have scraps removed before they go into the yellow lid bin. If you are unsure, it’s always a safe option to give items a quick rinse. This helps to prevent contamination and ensures that the recycling process runs smoothly.

Lids on or off - what do I do with lids?

Keep lids on the item and put it in the yellow lid bin. Loose lids should go in the general waste bin.

Recycling symbols - which one do I use?

Several different packaging labels are used in Australia, and some items with a recycling symbol cannot be recycled in the yellow lid bin. When considering whether an item can go in the yellow lid bin, ask yourself what the item is made from. If the packaging is made from paper, cardboard, firm plastic, aluminium and steel or glass, it is likely it can be recycled.

I get so much conflicting information about what is recyclable. How do I know what is correct?

When in doubt check our What goes in which bin or our A to Z of waste disposal page to find out what you can put into the yellow lid bin.

Tetra packs/long life cartons

Can be put in the yellow lid bin. If you return small cartons/poppers to a Containers for Change collection site, you can get 10 cents per container.

Food - can it go in my yellow lid bin?

Please do not put food or garden waste into the yellow lid bin. The best place for food is in a home compost bin. If composting isn’t possible, then place food and garden waste in the general waste bin.

Garden waste - can it go in my yellow lid bin?

Please do not put garden waste into the yellow lid bin. The best place for garden waste is in your green waste bin (lime green lid bin). If you don't have a lime green lid bin, you can contact Council to participate in the Opt-In Program or place the garden waste in a compost bin or in the red lid general waste bin. Green waste can also be deposited for free at Council's waste and recycling facilities.

Can I put my recyclables in bags?

Please do not put recyclable items inside plastic bags. Recyclable items that are put in bags before going into the yellow lid bin, cannot be recovered and will end up in landfill.

Soft plastics - what are they?

If it’s soft and you can scrunch it in your hands, then it’s a soft plastic. This includes food packaging, chip and chocolate bar wrappers, plastic films and wraps.

Soft plastics - why can't I put soft plastics in the yellow lid bin?

Soft plastics get caught in the sorting machinery and can damage it. Currently, Queensland does not have any facilities that can process soft plastics for recycling, so it is best to put plastic bags and food wraps into the general waste bin.

Rigid plastics - what are they?

Items around your home made of rigid plastic such as old toys, kitchenware, plant pots and materials like PVC piping can’t be recycled through your yellow lid bin. You can dispose of these by putting them in your general waste bin, taking them to our waste and recycling facilities or donating the items to charity. Some items may be collected from our waste and recycling facilities for resale at the Logan Recycle Market.

Hazardous waste

Household chemicals, pesticides, paints, batteries and e-waste cannot be put in any of your household bins. They can be very dangerous as they pose a hazard to the environment and a safety risk to workers in the sorting facility. More about hazardous waste.

Household chemicals, pesticides and paint

Do not put household chemicals in any of your household bins. They must not be poured down the sink, drain or toilet either. Please dispose of these hazardous items by bringing them to any Council waste and recycling facility on a free Household chemical drop-off day or go to Paint and chemical disposal to find out how to dispose of these items.

Batteries

Batteries cannot go in any of your household bins. All batteries are hazardous, from the AAA batteries in your TV remote to your car battery. They contain toxins harmful to the environment and when placed in a household bin, they can cause fires in the bins or trucks that collect them. Please dispose of batteries by bringing them to any Council waste and recycling facility or B-cycle point, or check battery disposal to find out more.

E-waste

Electronic waste refers to small and large household electrical appliances such as TVs, computers, old mobile phones, chargers, and whitegoods. Bring your e-waste to any Council waste and recycling facility or find an e-waste recycler near you.

Glassware - why can’t I put it in the yellow lid bin?

Don’t put any glassware in the yellow lid bin. This can contaminate other recyclables, as this type of glass melts at a different temperature compared to bottles and jars which have previously contained food or liquid. Glass from household items like drinking glasses, window glass, pyrex and any other glass which has not contained food or liquid, should be placed in the general waste bin.

What is wishcycling?

Wishcycling is the practice of putting something in the yellow lid bin in the hope that it will be recycled. Items such as clothing, kitchen glassware, scrap metal, soft plastics and rigid plastics are not suitable for recycling and should be placed in the general waste bin. In general, if an item is not listed on your Council website as recyclable, it is best to put it in the general waste bin.

Other ways to recycle in my LGA?

Many household items like batteries, old soft toys, old clothes shoes are not suitable for recycling through Council’s kerbside recycling service, but may be recycled through alternative disposal methods. Some retailers and
community organisations provide in-store collection bins where you can leave your items free of charge, and they will be recycled into other usable goods.

Check recyclingnearyou.com.au or download the RecycleMate app to learn what goes in which bin and how to recycle near you.