Recycling in Brisbane
Use this guide to help you recycle more in Brisbane and send less waste to landfill.
What can be recycled in Brisbane?
Paper
Metals (aluminium/steel)
Cardboard
Glass (unbroken)
Plastics (firm)
Important things to know
When placing items in your recycling bin, please:
- empty bottles and containers - you don't have to wash them out
- leave lids on bottles, containers and jars - loose lids are too small to be processed
- do not put items in plastic bags before they go in the bin.
Do you want to check if an item is recyclable?
Use our handy interactive tool to find out what goes in your recycling bin.
What happens to my recycling?
After you place your recycling bin on the kerbside, the following process takes place.
Your recycling bin is collected, and the content is emptied into one of Council’s dedicated fleet of recycling trucks.
The content is taken to Visy’s (Council’s recycling partner’s) Material Recovery Facility on Gibson Island.
Visy sorts the content into the material streams of paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, steel and aluminium. Items that are deemed non-recyclable are separated and sent to landfill.
The material streams are now ready to be reprocessed into new products.
For more information on what is accepted or upcoming special drop-off events, visit the resource recovery centres page.
Download Brisbane’s best recycling guide
Council’s recycling pocket guide provides:
- recycling tips
- easy ways to collect and sort recyclables
- answers to what can go into Council's recycling bins
- answers to frequently asked questions.
Helpful links
Frequently asked questions
You can recycle your coffee cups at a participating location, or dispose of them in your general waste bin. Coffee cup lids can be recycled in your household recycling bin.
However, we encourage residents to use a reusable cup whenever possible
Polystyrene cannot be recycled in your yellow-lid recycling bin. However, you can drop off household quantities (maximum 5 cubic metres) of polystyrene free from paint and glue at one of Council’s resource recovery centres, where it can be processed for recycling.
You can recycle your coffee pods via the Nespresso coffee capsule recycling program. Drop off any brand of coffee pod to your nearest Nespresso store or participating florist or garden centre.
Alternatively, you can purchase an Australia Post Recycling Satchel.
If you use plastic coffee pods, check with the manufacturer to see if they offer a recycling service for customers
Unfortunately, broken glass is a safety risk to staff at recycling facilities. Please do not place any broken glass in the recycling bin. Broken glass should be wrapped and placed in the red-lid general waste bin.
In Brisbane you can place empty and intact aerosol cans into your yellow-lid recycling bin. If you are unable to safely empty aerosol cans you can dispose of them at a Council resource recovery centre.
Big W has partnered with TerraCycle to create a free national toy recycling program. You can take your pre-loved toys to any participating Big W store.
Toys in good condition can also be donated to Council’s Treasure Troves, as well as toy libraries and op-shops.
Most household batteries such as those found in TV remotes and toys, as well as car batteries can be dropped off at Council’s resource recovery centres. Alternatively, you can drop off old and easily removable batteries at a B-cycle drop off point.