How to recycle right these holidays

Published on 28 November 2019

Australian households generate 30% more waste over the Christmas and New Year period. While consuming less is always the best way to avoid waste, we can also do our bit by recycling.

Here are some tips to help you recycle your festive waste correctly and minimise our impact on the environment.

Christmas trees

If you bought a real Christmas tree, it can be left out with your green lid organics bin when you’re finished with it – just leave it neatly next to your bin on your kerb or laneway. It will be collected for recycling on your scheduled service day.

If you’ve invested in a plastic tree, make sure to re-use it every year to ensure its environmental impact is minimised.

Wrapping paper, ribbons and cards

Paper and cardboard can be recycled, so choose this material over plastics or cellophane. Paper and cardboard packaging can go into your yellow lid recycling bin. Try to remove any sticky tape first and put it in the rubbish bin.

Remove any rope, string or ribbons from gift cards, gift bags and wrapping paper as they can’t be recycled. Gift cards made from paper can go in the recycling bin. Hold onto ribbons and gift bags and use them again next year.

Plastic bags and other soft plastics

These CANNOT go into your recycling bin at home, dispose of them in your red-lin bin. 

Bottles, jars and drink cans

Please make sure that all your bottles, jars and cans are placed loosely into your yellow lid recycling bin. If you can, rinse them, separate the lids and remove them from plastic bags first.

Disposable plates, cups cutlery and paper napkins

These cannot be recycled. Please choose reusable alternatives instead. If you can't avoid disposable items, make sure you use biodegradable options like paper plates and bamboo or timber cutlery.

Leftover food

This is the biggest cause of festive waste. Get creative with your leftovers and reuse that food to make something new. Visit Love Food Hate Waste for clever recipes using leftovers and tips on food storage.

As a last resort, you can place any kind of food waste into your green lid organics bin for recycling. Scraps can be wrapped in newspaper, or compostable bags, but no plastic bags please.

Wormfarms and compost bins are another good option for food scraps. If you don’t already have one, take a look at the Compost Revolution program where Woollahra residents can purchase a worm farm or compost bin for 80% off the RRP.

For more information on what can and can’t be recycled, download the Recycle Mate app.

View more information about Council’s waste services.