Soft plastics are plastics that can pass the scrunch test. The REDcycle soft plastics collection program has temporarily paused, effective as of 9 November 2022.

Currently, soft plastics go in the red bin until the soft plastics industry is up and running again.

Rigid plastic is plastic that can’t be scrunched up. For example, meat trays and hard plastic covers from bakery items such as cake covers. Clean rigid plastics can be recycled in your yellow bin.

Tip: some meat trays are made of foam using EPS polystyrene and cannot be recycled.

Did you know that the symbol with the number 1-7 in it does not mean that a plastic item is recyclable? The number indicates the type of plastic the item is made from.

They are called a plastic or resin identification code. Whether it can be recycled or not depends on the recycling systems where you live.

Here on the MidCoast, we accept rigid plastics, 1 - 7 plastic resin codes, in the yellow recycling bin. Soft plastics, that you can scrunch into a ball, cannot be recycled in the yellow recycling bin.

To avoid the confusion always try and reduce or avoid single use plastics.

Long-life milk containers can be placed in the yellow bin, just ensure they are clean lidless.

If the foil is clean it can be scrunched into a ball, larger than a tennis ball, and placed in your home recycling bin. Aluminium trays that are clean and contain no food can also be recycled.

Small pieces of aluminium foil, smaller than a tennis ball, are difficult to recycle because they slip through the gaps in recycling and processing equipment and must be placed in the red bin.

Tip: you can always add to the foil ball until it gets big enough to go in the recycling bin, as anything smaller than a credit card cannot be recycled.

The Australasian Recycling Label makes it easy to put your packaging in the right bin.

The Australasian Recycling Label tells you which part of the package belongs in the recycling bin, the landfill bin, or if you have to do something else with it.

Find out more Australasian Recycling Label - Planet Ark Recycling Near You

Unwanted, out-of-date or leftover household chemicals are an example of common household problem waste that can't be collected via our kerbside waste and recycling collection services. Disposing of them incorrectly can cause harm to the environment and us.

Household problem waste such as chemicals should be taken to one of our Community Recycling Centres located at Taree Waste Management Centre, Gloucester Waste Management Centre and Tuncurry Waste Management Centre.

Household problem waste can also be dropped off free of charge at any of our other Waste Management Centres. Just check the opening hours of your closest centre.

Pesticides are collected from our Community Recycling and Waste Management Centres and transported to Cleanaway’s processing facility for hazardous liquids and problem wastes in St Marys, Sydney. This is an EPA licensed facility.

Bottle caps can be left on bottles and placed in the yellow bin.

If you have loose bottle caps, these need to be placed in your red bin, as they are too small for our sorting machine.

There are many community organisations that collect lids. Visit the LidsforKids Facebook page to receive all the information you will need to know about how to recycle your lids

Bread tags can’t’ be recycled in your yellow bin and they are too small for our sorting machinery. You can take your bread tags to Dive Forster (Little St Foster), who collect for Aussie Breadtags for Wheelchairs - please contact them directly about contributing to their program.

You can drop your X-ray films off to be recycled at any of the MidCoast waste management facilities.

Silver from the x-rays are extracted and turned into jewellery and used in electronics.

Vapes can now be recycled at any of our Waste Management Centres.

E-Waste can be taken to any of our Waste Facilities.

E-Waste includes; Printers, TVs, computer monitors, laptops, hard drives, keyboards, mice, joysticks, faxes, multi functions, printers, gaming consoles and accessories, VCRs, DVD and CD players including burners, digital cameras, video cameras, iPods, iPads, tablets, micro stereos and smoke alarms

The electronics we collect are diverted from landfill and raw materials are recovered and recycled, which reduces the need to mine raw materials for new technology.

If your items are still in working condition, first try to find a new home for your unwanted electronic goods. You could give them away to someone who needs it, or try advertising online.

Please note that your e-waste needs to be separated from general waste, otherwise you will be charged for the load.

Shredded can’t be recycled, even if it’s in a cardboard box.

Small amounts of shredded paper can be used in your home compost or as a layer of mulch under dirt in the garden. Shredded paper can also be used to make handmade paper, placed under kitty litter to add depth to the tray, or to make your own kindling bricks or fire starters.

Take-away coffee cup lids are not recyclable as they are usually made from High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS). HIPS carries a symbol which you see on the lid, which is often be mistaken as the recycling symbol.

There are some specialised companies that will accept HIPS lids. However, they cannot be recycled by MidCoast Council's Materials Recovery Facilities.

Our Waste Management Centres can recyle some building materials including; bricks, clean concrete, untreated timber and metal.

We cannot currenlty recylce solar panels in the MidCoast