Recycling items from your home helps the environment and reduces the amount of rubbish going to landfill.
There are many different ways you can recycle, and with a little effort from everyone, we can make a big difference.
Your yellow lid bin
You can recycle many common household items including cardboard and paper, plastics, steel cans, glass bottles and more in your yellow lid bin, which is collected fortnightly.
The Wollongong Waste website has a list of what you can and can't put in your yellow lid bin.
You can also download the Wollongong Waste App and search the A-Z of Waste and Recycling tab to see what you can recycle.
Bonus tip: the app also has a handy calendar to check when to put your yellow lid bin out for collection!
Extra cardboard and household recycling
Got lots of cardboard or other recyclables, but your yellow lid bin is full? You can drop these items off at our Community Recycling Centre for free.
Please make sure cardboard boxes are flattened before you bring them for recycling.
Community Recycling Centre
Our Community Recycling Centre (CRC) at Kembla Grange lets you drop off many common types of problem household waste, plus excess recyclables that don't fit in your yellow top bin. It’s free to use this service, and the CRC is open seven days a week.
Visit our Community Recycling Centre page to see what you can recycle or for more details.
Community Recycling Stations
We also have Community Recycling Stations at selected library locations, where you can recycle household batteries, mobile phones and accessories, smoke alarms and x-rays.
Recycling spotlight: trickier items
Here are just a few items that can't go in your yellow lid bin, and you might not deal with every day - but they can still be recycled!
Visit our Problem Waste page to learn how to recycle or responsibly dispose of other trickier items from around your home.
Did you know?
- About 11% of items that could be recycled are being placed in red lid bins. This means items that could be recycled are sitting in landfill instead. Many of the recyclables going in red lid bins include printed office paper. cardboard, magazines and plastic bottles and containers.
- About 15% of the items in yellow lid bins don't belong there! Things like non-recyclable plastic toys, plant pots, and steel items like cake tins, muffin trays and cutlery should go in your red lid bin.
- Keep it loose: it's important to not bag items in your yellow lid bin.
What happens to your recycling?
Wollongong City Council partners with VISY to recycle household items into new products. Watch the video below to learn more.