; Let’s sort what goes where - Three Bin System - City of Wanneroo
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Three Bin System

Let’s sort what goes where

Getting your waste to the right place is important to reduce what is sent to landfill, turn waste into valuable resources, and to protect the environment around us.

What goes in the lime-green lid garden organics (GO) bin?

Loose garden organic waste such as:

  • Lawn clippings
  • Small branches (branches to be a metre or less in length, and a maximum of 6cm in diameter/thickness).
  • Leaves and flowers
  • Tree cuttings
  • Weeds
  • Sticks and twigs.

Properties remaining on the two bin system can place garden organic material in their general waste bin.

Keep your garden organics bin clean and green by putting items in loose. Remember, plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and any other garden related equipment or materials are a no-go in the GO bin.

If wheeling your bin around your yard is too hard, some people collect their prunings, grass clippings and weeds in a bucket, basket or other reusable container before tipping them in. Laying out a tarp under bushes will catch your prunings too, and you can carefully lift and tip into the bin for contamination free gardening.

Handy Tip! To reduce smells in your GO bin:

  • Keep it in a shady, sheltered spot.
  • Layer drier materials like small branches and sticks at the bottom of the bin to increase air flow
  • Put it out for collection each fortnight, even if it’s not full.

 

What goes in the yellow lid recycling bin?

All recycling facilities in Western Australia accept ONLY the following recyclable materials and nothing else:

  • Clean paper (not shredded)
  • Flattened cardboard
  • Clean aluminium and steel cans
  • Glass
  • Plastic bottles and containers with lids off (please place plastic lids in the general waste bin, or save to donate to programs that accept these).

Don’t forget! Give them a quick rinse, take lids off, and keep items loose and not in plastic bags.

Alternatively, have you heard about Containers for Change? Many recyclable containers can now be returned for a 10-cent refund. If you’d like to cash in, either for yourself or for charity, or just make more room in your recycling bin, consider dropping these containers to one of the refund points across the City.

 

What goes in the red lid general waste bin?

Food organics such as:

  • Food waste
  • Fruit and vegetable scraps

General rubbish items including:

  • Animal waste
  • Nappies
  • Wipes
  • Hygiene products
  • Tissues and paper towels
  • Meat trays
  • Bottle lids
  • Bagged shredded paper
  • Soiled paper products
  • Clothing/textiles
  • Plastic bags and scrunchable plastic packaging (tip – you can drop these off to your local Coles or Woolworths for recycling).

 

Items that don’t belong in any bin

There are some items that don’t belong in any bin for safety and environmental reasons such as:

  • Electronic waste (e-waste) – televisions, tablets, monitors, hard drives, etc
  • Mobile phones
  • Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) – batteries, aerosols, flammable liquids, paints, pesticides, etc
  • Problematic waste - e.g. tyres, asbestos, sharps/needles and medicines

These items can be safely discarded at drop-off facilities across the City.

 

Still unsure?

Consult the City’s Waste Services Guide (available in 11 different languages).

Or if you have a specific query in mind, our Disposal Guide might be helpful. Here you can use our partnership with Recycle Right to search for where to dispose of specific items. You can also find out the closest facility to drop off items that don’t belong in any of your three bins.

Translated material

Resources to help you sort your waste are available in a number of different languages. Please see our Resources and Downloads page to see what is available for download, or contact us if you would prefer to have a printed copy posted out to you.

Teachers and those who work with community groups may also borrow a 'WasteSorted - Talking My Language' multilingual toolkit to help students and community members to sort waste correctly.