Today ITC was behind the URM Recycling truck waiting for it to finish emptying a bin (the road was too narrow to safely pass). I noticed that the truck was not actually picking up the recycling bin. Instead one of the URM employees had left a Recycling Contamination Notice on the recycling bin. The URM truck drove away without emptying the bin. ITC has noticed quite a few recycling bins not being emptied by URM on recycling day. They are obviously cracking down on people who are not recycling correctly.
Here is the picture of the note that was left at the bin referred to above.
This was the offending bin. You can see it has a plastic bag and this is one of the items not accepted for recycling.
How Do You Know What to Put In Your Recycling Bin?
According to Recycle Smart a recent survey revealed that 99% of residents are still unsure how to recycle some household items. Last year Recycle Smart released the Recycle Smart app. This app allows you to search over 170 different items to see if you are allowed to recycle them in your local council area.
Handy Recycling Reference Guide
If you are not an app person, this table from the Lane Cove Council Website is a handy reference guide.
In the YELLOW BIN 
Remove lids and rinse all containers before placing in the bin.
| Plastic Containers | Plastic containers with the following symbols will be accepted for recycling:
Bottles marked with the R logo, or in a recycling triangle on the containers’ base and plastic milk bottles will be accepted. |
| Glass | All see-through glass bottles and jars made of green, brown and clear glass are recyclable.
Glasses not accepted for recycling include ceramics and porcelain, broken glass of any kind, white (Malibu) glass, Pyrex cookware, mirrors or windows, light globes, sheet glass or poison bottles. |
| Aluminium & Steel Cans | Aluminium and steel cans (including aerosols) are accepted. |
| Milk/Juice Cartons | Plastic milk and juice containers are accepted, however paper/cardboard containers are not accepted (into BLUE bin) |
| Unacceptable Material | Your recycling bin may be stickered and left if it contains any of the following: Disposable nappies, syringes, food scraps, garden waste, or plastic shopping bags. |
It is interesting to note that as much as a half of all municipal waste goes to landfill. Planning ahead, opening food as you go and not over-catering are ways to reduce food landfill. You can also start composting and Lane Cove Council has a free worm farm for you – full details are here.
The Lane Cove Council has produced a recycling guide for the whole home and you download the complete Recycling At Home in Lane Cove poster for a detailed description of how to correctly dispose of various household items.
Last year, Planet Ark launched a new Australian Recycling Label, which was designed to address both customer confusion and the desire for on-pack information. The label is made up of a simple diagram, which provides clear instructions about the recyclability of each component of the pack. So far only Officeworks and Blackmores have adopted this labelling system.
Here are just a few other tips to help you recycle in Lane Cove
Plastic Bags
The REDcycle Program makes it easy for you to keep your plastic packaging out of landfill.
It works like this:
1. YOU COLLECT
2. YOU DROP
3. THEY RECYCLE
Collect all the soft plastics that you can’t recycle at home.
Drop them into the REDcycle bin at your nearest participating supermarket. There is a REDcycle bin at both Coles and Woolworths Lane Cove
They recycle your packaging into outdoor furniture for primary schools and pre-schools.
- ✓ Bread bags
- ✓ Biscuit packets
- ✓ Frozen food bags
- ✓ Rice and pasta Bags
- ✓ Confectionery packets
- ✓ Cereal Box Liners
- ✓ Newspaper wrap
- ✓ Plastic shopping bags
- ✓ Old green bags
NO THANKS!
- ✘ Plastic bottles
- ✘ Plastic containers
- ✘ Glass
- ✘ Paper and cardboard
- ✘ Tin cans
- ✘ Food waste
Light Bulbs, Tubes and Batteries
You can now recycle light bulbs and batteries in Coles Lane Cove.
Pure Flowers – Nespresso Coffee Pods
Do you have a Nespresso Machine? If you do you can now recycle the pods at Pure Flowers. They have launched a Lane Cove recycling program for Nespresso capsules. Pure Flowers is participating in a nationwide environmental program to help recycle coffee capsules. Nespresso has joined with recycling and upcycling experts TerraCycle Australia to expand their recycling program at additional collection points around the country at florists, garden centres and nurseries. Lane Cove residents can now recycle their used Nespresso capsules at no cost by visiting Pure Flowers and dropping their capsules (sealed in any plastic bag which will also be recycled) into the in-store recycling collection box.
“Pure Flowers has been delivering flowers in the Lane Cove area for 20 years. This program is an exciting and new initiative for our florist that’s good for the planet and makes recycling capsules accessible for locals. We’re happy to chat to customers that drop in and why not grab some fresh flowers on your way!” said Ludmila Fedorovitch, co-owner Pure Flowers. The capsules will then be recycled at Nespresso’s recycling plant. Only Nespresso capsules made for in-home consumption are accepted as part of this program.
Triple A Drycleaners – Recycle Coat Hangers
If you are like Joan Crawford and you do not want wire coat hangers in your life, Triple A Drycleaners will recycle them for you. They are located on Longueville Road (near Cafe Zivelli)
Eyes on Lane Cove – Recycle Glasses
Have you recently had your eyes tested and have moved on to new glasses and frames, you can drop your old glasses into Eyes on Lane Cove and they will arrange to recycle them. Eyes on Lane Cove are located on Longueville Road (near Zest Cafe).
Renegade Cycles – Recycle Bikes
Do you have old bikes clogging up your garage or backyard? Take them to Renegade Cycles, they are a collection point for Recycle Cycles . Each week a volunteer from Recycle Cycles picks up the bikes and repairs them. They are located on Burns Bay Road near IGA Express (aka Agora).
Australia Post – Recycle Printer Cartridges
Printer Cartridges, for recycling, can be dropped into Australia Post Lane Cove.
Lane Cove Sustainability Action Group – Recycle Reusable Bags
Reusable bins are located in Lane Cove Shopping areas to assist our community’s reliance on plastic bags. Plastic bags are mostly used when shopping and the bins have been placed in strategic areas to assist our community when:
- You have forgotten to bring our reusable bags to the shops;
- Need extra bags because you bought more than anticipated; or
- Left the reusable bags in the car (OMG how often have you done that)??
Locations for the BagShare Bins are as Follows:
– The Atrium under Coles
– Outside Coles
– At the entrance to Market Square from the car park.
– At IGA Express (aka Agora)
– At Greenwich shops
Lane Cove Council
You should also check out the Lane Cove Council’s webpage as they have a page on where you can recycle fridges, mattresses, battery and light bulbs.
We’ve also just discovered that you can recycle Oral Hygiene products!
“Your toothbrush is finished? Don’t toss it. LC Council is providing bins in the Council Chambers to collect & recycle oral hygiene items eg toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers.”
What other recycling options are there in Lane Cove?
If you are interested in other ways to help the environment you might like to read the following blogs:
Top Tips on Recycling in Lane Cove
Do you have a local issue you would like help with? ITC is here to help just email us at [email protected]
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