During the COVID19 lockdown have you noticed the sky seems bluer and the air crisper? How do we ensure we do our bit for the environment? There are a few steps we can all incorporate into our daily routine to keep waste out of landfill. We need to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle where possible.
Make Sure You Recycle Right at Home
Are you confused about which items can go in your blue and yellow lidded bins?
Download Lane Cove Council’s Recycling At Home in Lane Cove poster for a detailed description of how to correctly dispose of various household items.
Recycling in the YELLOW BIN
| Plastic Containers | What does the recycling triangle mean?
The triangle refers to international labeling, so if your item was manufactured in another country, it may be recyclable there, but this doesn’t mean it will be in Sydney. In NSW the rules are different depending on where you live because your local council coordinates your recycling, depending on the particular terms with their recycling supplier. For the most up to date information on what Lane Cove Council accepts in the yellow recycling bin, please see below: Plastic drink and milk bottles and lids, berry and tomato type punnets, margarine containers, coffee cup lids, hard plastic biscuit and cake trays, empty plastic containers (liquid soap, shampoo and conditioner containers), empty plastic medicine bottles, and empty washing detergent bottles. Council does not accept plastic bags or other soft plastics that are scrunchable. These include chip wrappers, plastic bread bags and plastic biscuit packets (but they can be recycled via REDcycle see below) |
| Glass | All see-through glass bottles and jars made from 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.
Small quantities of used aluminium foil, single-use pie tins, foil trays. |
| Milk/Juice Cartons | Plastic milk and juice containers are accepted, however paper/cardboard containers (including foil lined containers) are not accepted in the yellow bin (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. |
Recycling in the BLUE BIN
| Paper and Cardboard | All paper and cardboard, newspaper and magazines will be collected. Please do not jam paper into the bin. Please flatten all cardboard boxes.
Your paper and cardboard will not be accepted for collection if it contains food stained paper (such as pizza boxes), facial tissues, waxed paper, paper towels, or carbon paper. |
| Milk/Juice Cartons | Paper/cardboard milk and juice containers will be collected. Cartons with silver lining are accepted if they are marked with the recycling symbol. |
| 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. |
Soft Plastics are Recyclable
Play your part in helping to create a sustainable future, by using the REDcycle bins at Lane Cove Woolworths and Coles (at the time this article was written Coles does not have a bin yet but it is coming).
Keep your empty bread bags, biscuit packets, frozen food bags, rice and pasta bags, confectionery packets, plastic shopping bags and old reusable bags out of landfill by bringing them into Coles and Woolworths supermarkets instead.
Drop them into your nearest REDcycle collection bin and the RED Group will do the rest.
Your empty packaging will be recycled into useful new products such as sturdy outdoor furniture and signage.
Not all plastics are made the same. How do you tell what can be recycled or not?
Always look out for the #AustralasianRecyclingLabe
Check out this video from Waverly Council about the scrunch test. If you can scrunch plastic into a ball, that plastic can be taken to Coles or Woolworths and placed in the soft plastic bin. It cannot be put into your red bin at home.
Recycle Problem Waste
How do you dispose of items like paints, gas bottles and electronic goods?
The Community Recycling Centre is a one-stop-shop for safely disposing of problem household wastes such as paint, gas bottles, e-waste or motor oil and more. In other words, problem wastes that can’t be collected via council kerbside waste or recycling collection services. Find out more about the CRC here.
It is a free service and the Community Recycling Centre is conveniently located at 8 Waltham Street Artarmon.
Don’t Use Plastic Bags When Buying Fruit and Vegetables
Bring Your own reusable bags when buying fruit and vegetables. You can buy some locally and support local businesses.
Walk Don’t Drive
Did you discover walking during COVID19? Keep it up and walk to Lane Cove Village and feel good with every step. While you are walking stop at a Street Library and donate a book or pick up a book to read. Street LIbrary locations here.
General Tips
Broken Items – Don’t throw it out get it fixed for free at the Repair Café in Lane Cove (open the first two Sundays of the month in the afternoon – details here) – Note Due to COVID19 the Repair Cafe has stopped but will return.
Unwanted Items – See if someone else wants your unwanted items by joining the Lower North Shore Free Stuff and Low Waste Facebook Group
A to Z of Recycling Lane Cove
Check out our list of recycling options in Lane Cove here.
In the Cove Local News – Get in Every Wednesday!!
To make sure you don’t miss Lane Cove info sign up to our newsletter. It comes out every Wednesday at 7.30 pm and includes a wrap up of everything posted on our Facebook site in the previous week.
Did you know that In the Cove has an Instagram page? Yes, we do, and we feature pictures from our roving reporters and our ITC team that do not appear on our Facebook page. Follow us on @inthecove
