A-Z of Waste and Recycling

Plastic shopping bags can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Plastic bags are not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Never place recyclables inside plastic bags when placing in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Always place them loosely and not concealed within a plastic bag.

Band aids should be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Lead acid batteries are prohibited from being placed in your wheelie bin. We highly discourage placing rechargable and household batteries in your wheelie bin also as when dumped in landfill, batteries can leak a range of toxic substances, including lead, mercury and cadmium, into the environment.

Lead Acid Batteries

These can be taken to the Battery recycling section of the Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill.

These are the batteries found under the bonnet of every car and in emergency exit lighting. The lead, acid and plastic casings can either be recycled into new batteries or used in other industrial applications.

Rechargable batteries

These should be disposed off in the battery recycling bin at the Ayr, Giru, Clare and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill.

Rechargeable batteries including lithium, nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride. Some of these come in familiar AAA and AA sizes, or may be customised to fit cameras, mobile phones, game consoles, power tool and electric toothbrushes and shavers.

Batteries (dry cell/household)

These should be disposed off in the battery recycling bin at the Ayr, Giru, Clare and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill..

Button cell batteries

From watches, hearing aids, calculators and many other electronic items, we recycle all types of button cell batteries.

Household cell batteries

Alkaline and zinc carbon batteries typically in sizes AAA, AA, C, and D size, or rectangular 9 and 12 volt batteries. These batteries are used in torches, radios, remote controls, smoke alarms and many other devices, and make up the largest volume of batteries entering our waste stream.

Unwanted bicycles and bicycle parts can be taken to any of Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge as they are resold in the second hand shop.

Bicycles in good working condition are popular, as are broken bikes as they are often wanted for spare parts where possible.

Unsalvageable bicycles can also be taken to all of Council's Waste Transfer Stations free of charge when sorted from other waste and disposed of in the scrap metal recycling section.

Books, including novels and textbooks can be donated to charity or taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station for sale in the second hand shop.

Books can also be placed into your yellow-lidded recycle bin if any plastic covers or contact film is removed beforehand. The plastic cover or film needs to be disposed of in you red-lidded refuse bin.

Bottles (plastic)

Empty plastic bottles can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Squash bottles where possible to make more room in the recycling bin.

Bottles (glass)

Glass bottles and lids can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

You do not need to remove labels before recycling. Separate the bottle tops. Bottle tops are asked to be removed first as they are often a different type of recyclable product than the bottle. If the lid is bigger than a credit card it can be placed in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. If the lid is smaller than a credit card it is best placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

For more information on bottle tops. See the A-Z Waste bottle top page.

If you have excess glass bottles to recycle you can take them to the local Container for Change depots. For more information on what products are eliglble and where to take them visit https://www.containersforchange.com.au/

Bottle tops should be removed from the bottle before you place bottles in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. Bottle tops are asked to be removed first as they are often a different type of recyclable product than the bottle. If the lid is bigger than a credit card it can be placed in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. If the lid is smaller than a credit card it is best placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

The reason for this is that your local recycling facility is an automated processing centre where materials are separated both by machines and by hand. Because of their size, these small, loose bottle caps fall through the screeners and end up being missed for recovery. And while the recycling facility is able to separate materials like glass, aluminum, steel and plastic containers, metal bottle caps are too small to be identified, so they often end up going to the landfill.

Recently Lids4Kids was launched. Lids4Kids is a nationwide project encourages the collection of plastic bottle tops. The plastic bottle tops are sent to Australian not-for-profit group Envision Hands in Victoria. The plastic is processed and then using a 3D printer turned into hand and arm mobility aids for amputee children.

For more information visit the following

Envison Hands https://envision.org.au/

Lids4Kids - North Queensland https://www.facebook.com/Lids4KidsAU/

Small branches, leaves, palm fronds and prunings from the garden can be placed into your green waste bin (lime green lid). Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council's Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provider a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council's Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quanities of mulch.

Bricks and pavers can be disposed of at Council's Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Bubble wrap can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Bubble wrap is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Building waste can be disposed of at Council's Kirknie Landfill

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Please note fees apply to Asbestos disposal. See the A-Z of Waste Asbestos page for further details.

Cardboard can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. This includes items such as cardboard boxes, pizza and cereal boxes, detergent boxes and tissue boxes.

Cardboard that has oil or food soaked into it and waxed cardboard such as throwaway coffee cups & packing boxes, should be placed in the general refuse bin. Pizza boxes that are very lightly soiled can be recycled.

Bulky or excess cardboard can be taken to Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill for recycling. We ask that you please flatten the cardboard before placing it in the cardboard bins.

Domestic cardboard disposal is free of charge for Burdekin residents. Fees apply for commercial operators.

Domestic carpet and carpet underlay can be disposed of at Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities are accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to commercial quantites. Please note commercial waste cannot be taken to the Clare Transfer Station.

Small offcuts can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse wheelie bin.

Car bodies can be taken to Council's Kirknie Landfill. All tyres must be removed and the vehicle drained of any oil and fluids.

Domestic car bodies are accepted free of charge. Fees apply to commercial car bodies.

Australians send 34 printer cartridges to landfill every minute. We are urging Australians to deprive their garbage bins of electronic waste.

Printer cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners and thus represent a significant investment in resources. When they are disposed of into landfill these resources are lost. That is why Planet Ark joined with Close the Loop and the participating manufacturers to set up the innovative Cartrides 4 Planet Ark program.

This program collects and returns cartridges for remanufacturing and recycling - therefore keeping them out of landfill. Planet Ark is successfully working with Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera to collectively take responsibility for the end life of their products. This voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program is one of the most successful of its type in the world. Help us save energy, water and resources by recycling your cartridges.

Printer and toner collection boxes are located at Council's Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Customer Service Centre.

Australia Post and Harvey Norman also accept printer cartridges as they are registered collection locations.

For more information visit:

Cartridges 4 Planet Ark https://planetark.org/campaigns/cartridges.cfm

Close the Loop https://www.closetheloop.com.au/

These can be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Cassettes are unfortunately a thing of the past. If you know of someone that still has a working cassette recorder or player they may have some use of the tapes. If not simply dispose of your old, unwanted cassette tapes in your red-lidded refuse bin.

CDs or their cases cannot be recycled. Broken or damaged CDs can be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin. CDs in good condition can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Cellophane plastic can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Cellophane is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin, however you can recycle cellophane and soft plastics at a number of Coles or Woolworths supermarkets. For more information visit https://www.redcycle.net.au/ or Planet Ark's Plastic Bag page https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/bags

Cement Sheeting can be disposed of a Council's Kirknie Landfill

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Please note that some cement sheeting from old dwellings and commercial buildings may potentially contain asbestos. Please check the Queensland Government Asbestos website for further details https://www.asbestos.qld.gov.au/know-where-asbestos/asbestos-products-gallery

If you suspect that the product contains asbestos see the Asbestos page on Council's A-Z of Waste.

Please note fees apply to Asbestos disposal.

Broken ceramics can’t be recycled. Place this into your red-lidded refuse bin for disposal.

Intact ceramics can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Eligible, pre-cleaned agricultural and veterinary chemical containers can be recycled through Agsafe's drumMUSTER program. drumMUSTER provides an easy, environmentally-friendly way of disposing of empty farming chemical containers across rural Australia.

Burdekin Shire Council's runs multiple drummuster collections sites.

Once the containers have been collected, they are recycled into re-usable products such as wheelie bins, road signs, fence posts and bollards.

See the drumMUSTER page for further details.

Register unwanted chemicals via Agsafe's ChemClear program by calling 1800 008 182 or register online http://www.chemclear.org.au/

98% of the chemicals collected under the ChemClear program are used as an alternate fuel source through a range of disposal methods and technologies. The remaining 2% are Schedule X chemicals such as organochlorines, arsenics and cyanides.

These chemicals are treated by either Plasma Arc technology, used as an alternate fuel source to fire cement kilns or stabilised and fixated for secure land fill. All disposal undertaken through ChemClear is in accordance with the appropriate requirements and guidance of the relevant Environmental Protection Authorities in each state.

By using the national ChemClear program chemical users can truly feel safe in the knowledge that they are using the safest and most effective form of disposal available in Australia to safely dispose of these chemicals.

These should be placed into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Place cigarettes butts in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Clean fill is regarded as clean soil that does not contain any concrete, greenwaste or other contaminants. Cleanfill can be taken to Council’s Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

We recycle it by using it as waste cover in the landfill cell.

Cling wrap is a soft plastic and can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Cling wrap is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Clothes and textiles that are clean, stain free and in generally good condition can be taken to charity clothing bins and stores.

Clothes in poor condition may still be accepted at some charities as they repurpose them and resell as ‘rags’.

Clothes in poor condition can still be diverted from landfill. You can reuse the item as a rag in your house to clean or mop things with.

Once the above options are exhausted the clothing may be thrown into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Clothing should not be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin and lime-lidded green waste bin as it cause contamination of the load.

Coffee cups (single-use, disposable) cannot be recycled as they are lined with plastic, which means they cannot be sorted properly at the recycling facility. Dispose of them in your red-lidded refuse bin.

The plastic covers/lids are made of polystyrene plastic and also need to be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin. Althought the lids are made of polystyrene plastic (Plastic Type 6) this type of plastic is not processed at our recycling facility located in Townsville. This recycling facility only recycle plastics type 1-5.

Next time you get a take away coffee consider using a reusable ceramic mug or travel mug instead.

Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds can be added to a worm farm or compost bin, or alternatively, bagged and placed into your red-lidded refuse bin. Used tea bags can also be treated in this way.

Coffee pods

Coffee pods used in pod machines cannot be recycled at a recycling facility and should be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Nespresso offers a free recycling program for their brand of coffee pods (for more information visit the Nespresso website).

Computers and accessories are classed as electronic waste (E Waste). E-Waste materials listed below can be taken to the Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill free of charge. Many of these materials contain metals and components which are not suitable to place into landfill. Recycling the materials will prevent the contaminants going to landfill.

Computer and Accessories

• Portable processing machines – ie laptops, notebooks & palmtops
• Computer Monitors (LCD & CRT)
• Muliti function devices that print, copy, scan and/or fax
• Desktop Printers
• Hard Drives
• Floppy drives
• Joysticks and gamepads
• Compact disk drives
• Desktops/central processing units (CPUs)
• Mouse and trackball units
• Cards, motherboards
• Scanners
• Digital video disk drives
• Keyboards
• Web cameras
• Electrical transformers in CPU's

Clean concrete, bricks and pavers can be disposed of at Council's Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to:

• Domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load
• All quantities of commercial waste
• Clean concrete requiring rock breaking (any concrete with steel reinforcement and concrete >400mm)
• Clean concrete <400mm largest dimensions (no steel reinforcement)

The concrete, brick and tiles are processed into crushed material and used in the construction of roads at the landfill.

Empty oil containers/drums

Small empty oil containers/drums can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Empty oil containers/drums can also be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 5 containers are accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 5 containers and all commercial quantities.

Rigid plastic bottles and containers can be disposed of in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Plastic containers include but are not limited to drink bottles, laundry detergent bottles, shampoo and conditioner bottles, margarine containers, ice cream tubs etc.

Sometimes there can be a great deal of confusion when trying to determine if a piece of plastic can be recycled.

The easist way is to look for the number within the recycling symbol. In the Burdekin we recycle numbers 1 to 5.

Remember to remove the lid. See the A - Z Waste bottle lids page for further details on bottle lids.

Each year, approximately three billion beverage containers are generated in Queensland alone and are the second most littered item.

So to help us all improve our recycling efforts and keep our beautiful environment litter-free, Containers for Change scheme lets people get a 10 cent refund for each eligible container returned to a refund point.

Eligible containers can be taken to the either of the Burdekin's over the counter Container for Change depots.

North Queensland Green Solutions - 2 - 6 Roberts Street, Ayr

Opening hours: Tues-Fri 8:30am to 4:30pm & Sat 8:30am to 1:00pm

For more information on what products are eliglble and where to take them visit https://www.containersforchange.com.au/

Burdekin Shire Council is not licensed to accept contaminated soil at our waste facilities.

Townsville City Council Waste Services Department offers specialised disposal services and accepts contaminated soil*.

*Disposal of contaminated soil is subject to conditions.

Visit Townsville City Council's website for further information https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/water-waste-and-environment/waste-and-recycling/commercial-waste/specialist-disposal-services or contact Townsville Waste Services on 13 48 10

Cooking oil is accepted at Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 20 litres is accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 20 litres and all commercial quantities.

Cork is a natural product so it can be placed in your compost bin. Make sure they are actually cork and not plastic made to look like cork. Synthetic corks are increasingly common in newer wines for a number of reasons but they won't rot down in a compost heap.

If you are unable to reuse your corks, you may put them in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Broken crockery can’t be recycled. Place this into your red-lidded refuse bin for disposal.

Intact crockery can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Plastic cutlery

Plastic cutlery should be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin. The majority of plastic cutlery can't be recycled as it is made out of polystyrene (Plastic type No.6). This type of plastic can't be recycled at Council's recycling facility. Burdekin Shire Council only recycles plastic number types Nos.1 to 5. Plastic No. 6 is generally found in disposable plates, cups and meat trays.

Plastic forks and knives are also an odd shape and can jam machinery the machinery at the recycling facility.

Metal Cutlery

Metal cutlery can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Alternately you can also dipose of metal cutlery free of charge in the scrap metal recycling section

Detergent bottles are made of plastic so can be rinsed out and thrown in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Remove the lid and throw it in the same bin separately. The bottle and lid should be separated as they are made out of two different types of plastic.

drumMUSTER drums/containers

Eligible, pre-cleaned agricultural and veterinary chemical drums and containers can be recycled through Agsafe's drumMUSTER program. drumMUSTER provides an easy, environmentally-friendly way of disposing of empty farming chemical drums and containers across rural Australia.

Burdekin Shire Council's runs multiple drummuster collections sites.

Once the drums and containers have been collected, they are recycled into re-usable products such as wheelie bins, road signs, fence posts and bollards.

See the drumMUSTER page for further details.

Empty oil drums/containers

Small empty oil drums/containers can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Empty oil drums/containers can also be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 5 containers are accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 5 containers and all commercial quantities.

This can be added to a worm farm or compost bin, or alternatively, bagged and placed into your red-lidded waste bin.

DVDs or their cases cannot be recycled. Broken or damaged DVDs can be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin. DVDs in good condition can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Domestic households electrical appliances such as a hair dryer, plastic kettles and toasters etc can be disposed of at any of Council's waste facilities free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to commercial waste.

Some electrical appliances are made of metal i.e kettles and toasters. Any metal electrical appliance can de disposed of in the scrap metal recycling bin free of charge.

You should not put household appliances in any of your wheelie bins.

E Waste is another name for electronic waste. E-Waste materials listed below can be taken to the Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill free of charge. Many of these materials contain metals and components which are not suitable to place into landfill. Recycling the materials will prevent the contaminants going to landfill.

E-Waste accepted includes:

Televsions

• Plasma televisions
• Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions
• Rear Projection televisions

Computer and Accessories

• Portable processing machines – ie laptops, notebooks & palmtops
• Computer Monitors (LCD & CRT)
• Muliti function devices that print, copy, scan and/or fax
• Desktop Printers
• Hard Drives
• Floppy drives
• Joysticks and gamepads
• Compact disk drives
• Desktops/central processing units (CPUs)
• Mouse and trackball units
• Cards, motherboards
• Scanners
• Digital video disk drives
• Keyboards
• Web cameras
• Electrical transformers in CPU's

E-Waste NOT accepted includes:

• Connection wiring
• Mobile phones including chargers (Mobile phones and chargers can be placed in the Mobile Muster bins)

Envelopes (including window envelopes) can be recycled so can de disposed of in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Padded envelopes, paper/plastic composites, thermal fax paper and wax coated paper must be placed in the red-lidded refuse bin.

EPIRBs should not be placed in any household rubbish bin.

EPIRBs are accepted free of charge at Council's Ayr and Home Hill Transfer Station.

Alternatively they can be taken to Battery World in Townsville.

The battery should be disconnected prior to disposal and the AMSA contacted to update the beacons registration. The EPIRBs are processed and parts such as the battery are recycled.

Emergency beacons can inadvertently activate if they are not correctly disposed, which often occurs when beacons are thrown in the rubbish and end up in tips. When a beacon is activated, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is alerted and a search and rescue response may be initiated. Search assets and personnel tasked to look for beacons which are inadvertently activated may then be unavailable for a real emergency so the AMSA urges owners of emergency beacons to dispose of their unwanted beacons correctly.

For more information visit the Queensland Government Maritime Safety Queensland https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/About-us/Safety-alerts/Updated-disposal-options-for-unwanted-beacons

These cannot be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin and should go into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Alternatively, some optical stores and health funds accept unwanted glasses. They are sent away to be repaired, regraded and distributed to communities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

For more information visit Planet Ark's Recyling Near you glasses page. https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/glasses/

Fibreglass can be disposed of a Council's Kirknie Landfill

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Fibro Sheeting and fibro products can be disposed of a Council's Kirknie Landfill

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Please note that some fibro products from old dwellings and commercial buildings may potentially contain asbestos. Please check the Queensland Government Asbestos website for further details https://www.asbestos.qld.gov.au/know-where-asbestos/asbestos-products-gallery

If you suspect that the product contains asbestos see the Asbestos page on Council's A-Z of Waste.

Please note fees apply to Asbestos disposal.

You cannot destroy a weapon; you may only dispose of them.

If your weapon has been damaged beyond repair or you do not wish to have the firearm repaired or you wish to damage the weapon to prevent any further use, it must be surrendered to either a Queensland police station or a licensed Queensland dealer for destruction.

Separate procedures are in place for the destruction of weapons by licensed weapons dealers.

For more information visit https://www.police.qld.gov.au/weapon-licensing/disposing-weapon

Residential and commercial fire extinguishers can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic customers can dispose of fire extinguishers free of charge. Commercial customers can dispose of degassed fire extinguishers free of charge but fees apply for units requiring de-gassing.

Council engages a contractor to extract the gas from un-degassed units. Once the units are degassed they are classed as scrap metal and recycled accordingly.

Residential and commercial flares can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Floor coverings can be disposed of Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities are accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to commercial quantites.

Small offcuts can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse wheelie bin.

Please note that some floor coverings including vinyl sheeting and floor tiles from old dwellings and commercial buildings may potentially contain asbestos. Please check the Queensland Government Asbestos website for further details https://www.asbestos.qld.gov.au/know-where-asbestos/asbestos-products-gallery

If you suspect that the product contains asbestos see the Asbestos page on Council's A-Z of Waste.

Please note fees apply to Asbestos disposal.

Fluorescent tubes and bulbs and HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps contain hazardous contaminants and must be disposed of carefully after use. Both fluorescent tubes and bulbs and mercury vapour lamps contain high levels of mercury. Due to their fragile nature, fluorescent light tubes should not be simply be thrown into your red-lidded refuse bin.

For households wishing to recycle their used fluorescent lights they can be taken to Council’s Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations.

Light bulbs are processed to recover the glass, aluminium components and phosphor containing mercury. The mercury is recovered by distillation for reuse.

Food waste can be disposed of in the red-lidded refuse bin.

Alternatively, consider setting up a worm farm or compost bin and turn your food waste (and garden waste) into a nutrient-rich compost or liquid fertilizer.

See the Waste and Recycling Composting and Worm Farm page for more information.

Degassed and nondegassed fridges and freezers can be disposed of Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill. Fees apply.

Please note no commercial waste can be disposed of at the Clare Transfer Station.

Council engages a contractor to extract the gas from un-degassed units. Once the units are degassed they are classed as scrap metal and recycled accordingly.

Gas bottles and cyclinders are prohibited from being placed in your wheelie bins.

Pressurised gas cylinders cannot be disposed of in garbage trucks or at landfills, as they present a danger when compacted.

Gas bottles and cyclinders including butane gas cartridges can now be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic gas bottles and cyclinders are accepted free of charge.

Fees to apply to commercial gas bottles and cyclinders.

The gas bottles and cyclinders are de-pressurised and then recycled as scrap metal.

Glass jars and bottles

These can be reused before being recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. You do not need to remove labels from glass before recycling. Separate the lids. If the lid is bigger than a credit card it can be placed in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. If the lid is smaller than a credit card it is best placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

If you have excess glass bottles to recycle you can take them to the local Container for Change depots. For more information on what products are eliglble and where to take them visit https://www.containersforchange.com.au/

Glass can be recycled a million times over to produce bottles and jars of the same high quality. Of the glass recycled in Australia, 85% is made back into glass containers.

Glassware (glass other than bottles and jars)

Glassware is not able to be recycled at this stage. This includes items such as drinking glasses, vases, window glass and heat resistant glass (pyrex). This glass has a different chemical composition and melting point to container glass making it unrecyclable.

If these items are broken they need to go into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Larger items such are broken large panes of glass can be taken to Council's Waste Transfer Stations free of charge for residents if sorted. Commercial fees apply for commercial disposals. Please note commercial waste is not accepted at the Clare Transfer Station.

Intact items can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Grass clippings from the garden can be placed into your lime green-lidded green waste bin. Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provider a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quantities of mulch.

Green waste including lawn clippings, branches, leaves, palm fronds and prunings from the garden can be placed into your lime green-lidded green waste bin. Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provider a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quanities of mulch.

These can be bagged and placed into your red-lidded refuse bin after they have cooled.

Domestic households appliances can be disposed of at any of Council's waste facilities free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to commercial waste.

Household appliances made of metal such as ovens, microwaves etc can de disposed of in the scrap metal recycling bin free of charge.

You should not put household appliances in any of your wheelie bins.

People who use needles/syringes such as diabetics should place the sharp in a ridged walled, puncture resistant container (e.g. approved sharps container) before securely closing or sealing the container.

The container can then be disposed of at the following local pharmacies who participate in the Queensland needle and syringe program.

• Ayr Amcal Chemist - 82 Queen Street, Ayr
• Burdekin Plaza Pharmacy - Shops 7 & 8. 118-120 Edwards Street, Ayr
• Julie's Pharmacy - 144 Edwards Street, Ayr
• TerryWhite Chemmart Ayr - 109 Queen Street, Ayr
• Complete Health Pharmacy - Shop D, 129-141 Eighth Avenue. Home Hill
• Guardian Pharmacy Home Hill - 101 Eighth Avenue, Home Hill

The Environmental Protection (Waste Management) Regulations 2000 have specific requirements regarding the correct disposal of needles or other sharps. Penalties exist for people who do not dispose of sharps correctly. Under no circumstance can sharps be placed in your recycle bin.

Burdekin Shire Council also provides sharps containers in the majority of the Shire's public toilets.

Australian's send 34 printer cartridges to landfill every minute. We are urging Australians to deprive their garbage bins of electronic waste.

Printer cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners and thus represent a significant investment in resources. When they are disposed of into landfill these resources are lost. That is why Planet Ark joined with Close the Loop and the participating manufacturers to set up the innovative Cartrides 4 Planet Ark program.

This program collects and returns cartridges for remanufacturing and recycling - therefore keeping them out of landfill. Planet Ark is successfully working with Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera to collectively take responsibility for the end life of their products. This voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program is one of the most successful of its type in the world. Help us save energy, water and resources by recycling your cartridges.

Printer and toner collection boxes are located at Council's Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Customer Service Centre.

Australia Post and Harvey Norman also accept printer cartridges as they are registered collection locations.

For more information visit:

Cartridges 4 Planet Ark https://planetark.org/campaigns/cartridges.cfm

Close the Loop https://www.closetheloop.com.au/

You can recycle your juice cartons and other tetra-pack containers (including poppers) in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. These are made up of a mixture of paper, aluminium and plastic and can be easily recycled.

Several tetra-pack containers can be recycled at the local Container for Change depots. For more information on what products are eliglble and where to take them visit https://www.containersforchange.com.au/

Junk mail is generally paper and cardboard so can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

If any of the junk mail is covered in plastic wrap, this is not recyclable and can be thrown in your red lidded. Be sure not to include plastic wrap in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

For more information on paper and soft plastics see the relevant A-Z of Waste page.

This should be bagged and placed into your red-lidded refuse bin

Grass clippings from the garden can be placed into your lime green-lidded green waste bin. Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council's Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provider a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council's Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quanities of mulch.

Unwanted lawnmowers can be taken to any of Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge as they are resold in the second hand shop. Lawnmowers in good working condition are popular, as are broken ones as they are often wanted for spare parts where possible. The Transfer Station attendent will access the condition.

If the lawnmower is considered unsalvageable it will be disposed of in the scrap metal recycling section.

If it is unsalvageable it can also be taken to the Clare Transfer Station and Kirknie Landill.

Fluorescent tubes and bulbs and HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps contain hazardous contaminants and must be disposed of carefully after use. Both fluorescent tubes and bulbs and mercury vapour lamps contain high levels of mercury. Due to their fragile nature, fluorescent light tubes should not be simply be thrown into your red-lidded refuse bin.

For households wishing to recycle their used fluorescent lights they can be taken to Council’s Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations.

Light bulbs are processed to recover the glass, aluminium components and phosphor containing mercury. The mercury is recovered by distillation for reuse.

Burdekin Shire Council is not licensed to accept liquid waste at our waste facilities.

For disposal of a variety of different types of liquid waste we recommend contacting Cleanaway.

For further information please visit their website https://www.cleanaway.com.au/services/liquid-waste/

Magazines are made of paper so can be recycled. Dispose of them in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Most paper can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. This includes: newspaper, junk mail, brochures, office paper, wrapping paper, used note books, unbleached paper, glossy paper, magazines, envelopes (including window envelopes), phone books, greeting cards, coloured paper, paper bags and scrap paper.

Residential and commercial flares can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Mattresses can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill.

Fees apply to mattresses excluding baby/cot mattresses and foam mattresses less than 5cm thick.

Bed bases are not charged and will be assesed by the operator to determine whether they are disposed of in the hardwaste or scrap metal bin.

The mattresses are processed by shredding them. The steel inner springs are removed for recycling and the remaining material sent to landfill. Processing them reduces the amount disposed of in landfill.

You can take your out-of-date and left over/unwanted medicines to any pharmacy in Australia. All pharmacies are equipped to accept all medicines. The blister packs that most tablets come in are unable to be recycled and should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Scrap metal can be disposed of at all of Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Household metal items such as vegetable and food cans, pet food cans, soft drink cans, pie trays, empty aerosol cans and aluminium foil can all be placed in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. Make sure you give them a rinse first.

Steel and aluminium is 100% recyclable and can be recycled an infinite number of times, saving energy and raw materials each time it is reprocessed.

Recycled steel may be used in aircrafts, cars, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, gutters, siding, wire and… more cans.

Household appliances made of metal such as microwaves and ovens etc can de disposed of in the scrap metal recycling bin free of charge.

You should not put household appliances in any of your wheelie bins.

All varities and sizes of milk cartons, bottles and tetra pack containers can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

The smaller flavoured milk containers are can be recycled at the local Container for Change depots. For more information on what products are eliglble and where to take them visit https://www.containersforchange.com.au/

Lids should be removed from the bottle before you place bottles in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. Bottle tops are asked to be removed first as they are often a different type of recyclable product than the bottle. If the lid is bigger than a credit card it can be placed in the yellow-lidded recycle bin. If the lid is smaller than a credit card it is best placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

The reason for this is that your local recycling facility is an automated processing centre where materials are separated both by machines and by hand. Because of their size, these small, loose bottle caps fall through the screeners and end up being missed for recovery. And while the recycling facility is able to separate materials like glass, aluminum, steel and plastic containers, metal bottle caps are too small to be identified, so they often end up going to the landfill.

Recently Lids4Kids was launched. Lids4Kids is a nationwide project encourages the collection of plastic bottle tops. The plastic bottle tops are sent to Australian not-for-profit group Envision Hands in Victoria. The plastic is processed and then using a 3D printer turned into hand and arm mobility aids for amputee children.

For more information visit the following

Envison Hands https://envision.org.au/

Lids4Kids - North Queensland https://www.facebook.com/Lids4KidsAU/

Broken mirrors can’t be recycled. Place this into your red-lidded refuse bin for disposal.

Intact mirrors can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Mobile phones and mobile batteries cannot be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Mobilemuster is an organisation that recycles old mobile phones and chargers. It transforms the components from mobile phone waste into valuable materials for reuse. It means that fewer raw materials need to be extracted and processed to make new products. By recycling your mobile phone today you will be helping reduce the impact on the environment of tomorrow.

Mobilemuster drop off points are located at:

• Telstra Store – Ayr, 86 Queen Street, Ayr
• Delta Electrix- Ayr, Shop 8 East End Centre, Cnr Parker and Queens Streets, Ayr

For more information visit the Mobilemuster website https://www.mobilemuster.com.au

Mobile phones and rechargable batteries can also be disposed of in the battery recycling bin at the Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations.

If your mobile is still working and you would like it to be reused, you could have it repaired, pass it on to family or friends, donate it to a charity, or sell it to a company that offers cash for old mobiles phones.

Motor oil is accepted at Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 6 litres is accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 6 litres and all commercial quantities.

Empty oil containers/drums

Small empty oil containers/drums can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Empty oil containers/drums can also be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 5 containers are accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 5 containers and all commercial quantities.

All nappies need to be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin. You cannot recycle any kind of nappy, used or unused.

People who use needles/syringes such as diabetics should place the sharp in a ridged walled, puncture resistant container (e.g. approved sharps container) before securely closing or sealing the container.

The container can then be disposed of at the following local pharmacies who participate in the Queensland needle and syringe program.

• Ayr Amcal Chemist - 82 Queen Street, Ayr
• Burdekin Plaza Pharmacy - Shops 7 & 8. 118-120 Edwards Street, Ayr
• Julie's Pharmacy - 144 Edwards Street, Ayr
• TerryWhite Chemmart Ayr - 109 Queen Street, Ayr
• Complete Health Pharmacy - Shop D, 129-141 Eighth Avenue. Home Hill
• Guardian Pharmacy Home Hill - 101 Eighth Avenue, Home Hill

The Environmental Protection (Waste Management) Regulations 2000 have specific requirements regarding the correct disposal of needles or other sharps. Penalties exist for people who do not dispose of sharps correctly. Under no circumstance can sharps be placed in your recycle bin.

Burdekin Shire Council also provides sharps containers in the majority of the Shire's public toilets.

Newspapers are made from paper so can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Most paper can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. This includes: newspaper, junk mail, brochures, office paper, wrapping paper, used note books, unbleached paper, glossy paper, magazines, envelopes (including window envelopes), phone books, greeting cards, coloured paper, paper bags and scrap paper.

Empty oil containers/drums

Small empty oil containers/drums can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Empty oil containers/drums can also be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 5 containers are accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 5 containers and all commercial quantities.

Oil filters are accepted at Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than 3 filters are accepted free of charge.

Fees apply to domestic quantities of more than 3 filters and all commercial quantities.

Household appliances made of metal such as ovens and microwaves etc can de disposed of in the scrap metal recycling bin free of charge.

You should not put household appliances in any of your wheelie bins.

Packaging material such as polystyrene, styrofoam and bubble wrap cannot be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin and should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Polystyrene and Styrofoam is plastic type No.6. This type of plastic can't be recycled at Council's recycling facility. Burdekin Shire Council only recycles plastic number types Nos.1 to 5. Plastic No. 6 is also found in disposable plates and cups.

Bubble wrap is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Padded envelopes, paper/plastic composites, thermal fax paper and wax coated paper must be placed in the red-lidded refuse bin.

Liquid paint is prohibited from being placed in any of your wheelie bins and is not accepted at any of council's waste facilities because Burdekin Shire Council is not licensed to accept liquid waste.

Small amounts of paint can be solidified by adding materials such as kitty litter or sand. Once dry, scrape this out onto old newspaper.

Small tins and small amounts of dried paint can be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin. Amounts over this can be taken to any of Council's Waste Transfer Stations (excluding Clare Transfer Station). Domestic waste is free of charge if sorted. Fees apply to commercial waste.

Liquid paint can be disposed of via Paintback. Paintback is an independent not-for-profit organisation that takes unwanted or waste paint and packaging. It aims to divert waste paint and packaging from landfill. It will collect and treat waste paint through participating sites around Australia.

It is the responsible way for households and professional painters to dispose of left-over paint and packaging.

The closest participating site is Cleanaway Bohle, 77-97 Enterprise Street , Bohle (1300 390 380)

For more information on Paintback visiti the website: http://paintback.com.au/

Small empty and dry paint tins can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Empty and dry paint tins can be taken to any of Council's waste facilities. Domestic waste is free of charge if sorted. Fees apply to commercial waste. Please note commercial waste is prohibited at the Clare Transfer Station.

Empty and dry metal paint tins can be disposed of in Council's waste facilities scrap metal bins.

Palm fronds, small branches, leaves, and prunings from the garden can be placed into your green waste bin (lime green lid). Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council's Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provider a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council's Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quanities of mulch.

Most paper can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. This includes: newspaper, junk mail, brochures, office paper, wrapping paper, used note books, unbleached paper, glossy paper, magazines, envelopes (including window envelopes), phone books, greeting cards, coloured paper, paper bags and scrap paper.

Shredded paper

Place it in your home composting unit in small quantities.

Shredded paper should not be placed into your yellow-lidded recycle bin, as the small strips of paper make the fibres too small to recycle in the traditional way. Paper and documents shredded by specialised companies are usually sent on for recycling.

Padded Envelopes

Padded envelopes, paper/plastic composites, thermal fax paper and wax coated paper must be placed in the general waste bin.

Paper (towels and tissues)

The paper fibre within tissues, including toilet tissue, tissue paper, paper towels and serviettes is too weak to be recycled. This is what makes them soft and this is why the paper has reached the end of its recyclable life. These can be placed into your red-lidded refuse bin, or composted in a worm farm or compost bin.

Pavers and bricks can be disposed of a Council's Kirknie Landfill.

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load is accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Pizza boxes are made from cardboard and can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Make sure you remove any leftover pizza and crusts first and place these food scraps in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Pizza boxes that are heavily soiled with oil can not be recycled and must be placed in the red lid bin.

Plastic shopping bags can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Plastic bags are not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Never place recyclables inside plastic bags when placing in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Always place them loosely and not concealed within a plastic bag.

Rigid plastic bottles and containers can be disposed of in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Plastic containers include but are not limited to drink bottles, laundry detergent bottles, shampoo and conditioner bottles, margarine containers, ice cream tubs etc.

Sometimes there can be a great deal of confusion when trying to determine if a piece of plastic can be recycled.

The easist way is to look for the number within the recycling symbol. In the Burdekin we recycle numbers 1 to 5.

Remember to remove the lids. See the A - Z Waste bottle lids page for further details on bottle lids.

Disposable plastic plates as well as disposable plastic cutlery and coffee cups should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin. The majority of plastic cutlery can't be recycled as it is made out of polystyrene (Plastic type No.6). This type of plastic can't be recycled at Council's recycling facility. Burdekin Shire Council only recycles plastic number types Nos.1 to 5.

Plastic forks and knives are also an odd shape and can jam machinery the machinery at the recycling facility.

Soft plastic and plastic wrap can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Soft plastic and plastic wrap is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Polystyrene and Styrofoam cannot be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin and should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Polystyrene and Styrofoam is generally used as packaging support for the storage and transport of fragile and expensive items such as electronic equipment. It is also used for meat trays and disposable coffee cups.

Polystyrene and Styrofoam is plastic type No.6. This type of plastic can't be recycled at Council's recycling facility. Burdekin Shire Council only recycles plastic number types Nos.1 to 5. Plastic No. 6 is also found in disposable plates and cups.

Broken porcelain can’t be recycled. Place this into your red-lidded refuse bin for disposal.

Intact porcelain can be taken to Council’s Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge. They are then sold in the second hand shop. Alternatively, you can give them to a second hand/charity store.

Australian's send 34 printer cartridges to landfill every minute. We are urging Australians to deprive their garbage bins of electronic waste.

Printer cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners and thus represent a significant investment in resources. When they are disposed of into landfill these resources are lost. That is why Planet Ark joined with Close the Loop and the participating manufacturers to set up the innovative Cartrides 4 Planet Ark program.

This program collects and returns cartridges for remanufacturing and recycling - therefore keeping them out of landfill. Planet Ark is successfully working with Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera to collectively take responsibility for the end life of their products. This voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program is one of the most successful of its type in the world. Help us save energy, water and resources by recycling your cartridges.

Printer and toner collection boxes are located at Council's Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Customer Service Centre.

Australia Post and Harvey Norman also accept printer cartridges as they are registered collection locations.

For more information visit:

Cartridges 4 Planet Ark https://planetark.org/campaigns/cartridges.cfm

Close the Loop https://www.closetheloop.com.au/

Punnets are the plastic containers that berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberry etc) are packaged in. These punnets are recyclable and can be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Rechargable batteries should be disposed off in the battery recycling bin at the Ayr, Clare, Giru and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill.

Rechargeable batteries including lithium, nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride. Some of these come in familiar AAA and AA sizes, or may be customised to fit cameras, mobile phones, game consoles, power tool and electric toothbrushes and shavers.

Unwanted rope should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

It cannot be recycled and should not be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Items such as wire and rope cause the machinery at the recycling facility to malfunction or breakdown.

Rubber items such as rubber bands cannot be recycled and should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Scrap metal can be disposed of at all of Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Steel and aluminium is 100% recyclable and can be recycled an infinite number of times, saving energy and raw materials each time it is reprocessed.

Recycled steel may be used in aircrafts, cars, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, gutters, siding, wire and… more cans.

People who use needles/syringes such as diabetics should place the sharp in a ridged walled, puncture resistant container (e.g. approved sharps container) before securely closing or sealing the container.

The container can then be disposed of at the following local pharmacies who participate in the Queensland needle and syringe program.

• Ayr Amcal Chemist - 82 Queen Street, Ayr
• Burdekin Plaza Pharmacy - Shops 7 & 8. 118-120 Edwards Street, Ayr
• Julie's Pharmacy - 144 Edwards Street, Ayr
• TerryWhite Chemmart Ayr - 109 Queen Street, Ayr
• Complete Health Pharmacy - Shop D, 129-141 Eighth Avenue. Home Hill
• Guardian Pharmacy Home Hill - 101 Eighth Avenue, Home Hill

The Environmental Protection (Waste Management) Regulations 2000 have specific requirements regarding the correct disposal of needles or other sharps. Penalties exist for people who do not dispose of sharps correctly. Under no circumstance can sharps be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Burdekin Shire Council also provides sharps containers in the majority of the Shire's public toilets.

If shoes are in good condition, consider donating them to charity, otherwise old shoes need to go into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Individual or small numbers of smoke alarms can be safely disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Soft plastic and plastic wrap can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Soft plastic and plastic wrap is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Clean soil (clean fill) that doesn't contain any concrete, greenwaste or other contaminants can be taken to Council’s Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

We recycle it by using it as waste cover in the landfill cell.

Solar panels from domestic households only can be disposed of at Kirknie Landfill, Ayr Transfer Station and Home Hill Transfer Station. There is a limit of 20 panels. Fees apply.

Steel items which have originally been used as packaging for food (i.e. tins) can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Other larger items can be disposed of as scrap metal at all of Council's Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Steel and aluminium is 100% recyclable and can be recycled an infinite number of times, saving energy and raw materials each time it is reprocessed.

Recycled steel may be used in aircrafts, cars, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, gutters, siding, wire and… more cans.

Strawberry punnets are the plastic containersthat berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberry etc) are packaged in. Thesepunnets are recyclable and can be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Drinking straws and the soft plastic packaging that originally covered the straw should go into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Soft plastic and plastic wrap is not able to be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Styrofoam and polystyrene cannot be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin and should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Styrofoam and polystyrene is generally used as packaging support for the storage and transport of fragile and expensive items such as electronic equipment.

It is also used for meat trays and disposable coffee cups.

Styrofoam and polystyrene is plastic type No.6. This type of plastic can't be recycled at Council's recycling facility. Burdekin Shire Council only recycles plastic number types Nos.1 to 5. Plastic No. 6 is also found in disposable plates and cups.

People who use needles/syringes such as diabetics should place the sharp in a ridged walled, puncture resistant container (e.g. approved sharps container) before securely closing or sealing the container.

The container can then be disposed of at the following local pharmacies who participate in the Queensland needle and syringe program.

• Ayr Amcal Chemist - 82 Queen Street, Ayr
• Burdekin Plaza Pharmacy - Shops 7 & 8. 118-120 Edwards Street, Ayr
• Julie's Pharmacy - 144 Edwards Street, Ayr
• TerryWhite Chemmart Ayr - 109 Queen Street, Ayr
• Complete Health Pharmacy - Shop D, 129-141 Eighth Avenue. Home Hill
• Guardian Pharmacy Home Hill - 101 Eighth Avenue, Home Hill

The Environmental Protection (Waste Management) Regulations 2000 have specific requirements regarding the correct disposal of needles or other sharps. Penalties exist for people who do not dispose of sharps correctly. Under no circumstance can sharps be placed in your recycle bin.

Burdekin Shire Council also provides sharps containers in the majority of the Shire's public toilets.

Medicines and pharmaceuticals, including tablets, should be returned to a pharmacy or chemist where they can be disposed of safely.

The blister packs that most tablets come in are unable to be recycled and should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

Tea bags can be added to a worm farm or compost bin, or alternatively, bagged and placed into your red-lidded refuse bin. Coffee grounds can also be treated in this way.

This is recyclable and can be disposed of in your yellow-lidded recycle bin

Televisions are classed as electronic waste (E Waste). Televisions classed as E-Waste materials listed below can be taken to the Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations and Kirknie Landfill free of charge. Many of these materials contain metals and components which are not suitable to place into landfill. Recycling the materials will prevent the contaminants going to landfill.

E-Waste accepted includes:

Televsions

• Plasma televisions
• Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions
• Rear Projection televisions

For more information of what is classed as E-Waste visit the A-Z of Waste E-Waste page.

Textiles and clothing that are clean, stain free and in generally good condition can be taken to charity clothing bins and stores.

Textiles in poor condition may still be accepted at some charities as they repurpose them and resell as ‘rags’.

Textiles in poor condition can still be diverted from landfill. You can reuse the item as a rag in your house to clean or mop things with.

Once the above options are exhausted the textiles and clothing may be thrown into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Textiles should not be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin and lime-lidded green waste bin as it cause contamination of the load.

Broken roof and floor tiles can not be accepted at Council's Transfer Station and must be taken to Council's Kirknie Landfill for disposal.

An exception to the rule is that if the tiles are leftover new tiles from a renovation the operators at the Transfer Station may accept them free of charge for sale in Council's Second Hand Shop.

Roof tiles

Roof tile disposal is charged at a small fee as these tiles are pourous and can be added to our concrete stockpile which is crushed and repurposed at the Kirknie Landfill for road and cell construction.

Floor tiles

Floor tiles can not be repurposed so are disposed of in the cell at the landfill. This attracts a higher fee as it is classed as construction and demolition waste.

Building timber cannot be recycled.

Quantities of less than half a ute load or small trailer load

Quantities of less than half a ute load or small trailer load can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill or Giru Transfer Station.

Domestic quantities are free of charge if sorted. Fees apply to disposal of commercial waste.

Quantities of more than half a ute load or small trailer load

Waste loads over the above size must be disposed of at Council's Kirknie Landfill

Domestic quantities of less than a ute load or trailer load are accepted free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to domestic quanities of more than a ute load or trailer load and all quantities of commercial waste.

Tissue boxes

Tissue boxes which are made from cardboard can be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Tissue

Tissues (used as well as clean) CANNOT be recycled in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Tissues, kitchen paper and serviettes can be composted in a compost bin or worm farm, otherwise they should be bagged and placed into your red-lidded refuse bin.

The paper fibre within tissues, including toilet tissue, tissue paper, paper towels and serviettes is too weak to be recycled. This is what makes them soft and this is why the paper has reached the end of its recyclable life.

Australians send 34 printer cartridges to landfill every minute. We are urging Australians to deprive their garbage bins of electronic waste.

Printer cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners and thus represent a significant investment in resources. When they are disposed of into landfill these resources are lost. That is why Planet Ark joined with Close the Loop and the participating manufacturers to set up the innovative Cartrides 4 Planet Ark program.

This program collects and returns cartridges for remanufacturing and recycling - therefore keeping them out of landfill. Planet Ark is successfully working with Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera to collectively take responsibility for the end life of their products. This voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program is one of the most successful of its type in the world. Help us save energy, water and resources by recycling your cartridges.

Printer and toner collection boxes are located at Council's Ayr and Home Hill Waste Transfer Stations and Council's Customer Service Centre.

Australia Post and Harvey Norman also accept printer cartridges as they are registered collection locations.

For more information visit:

Cartridges 4 Planet Ark https://planetark.org/campaigns/cartridges.cfm

Close the Loop https://www.closetheloop.com.au/

Tree prunings, small branches, leaves and palm fronds from the garden can be placed into your green waste bin (lime green lid). Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council's Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provide a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council's Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quantities of mulch.

Toys in good condition can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Stations free of charge as they can be resold in our second hand shops.

Alternatly you can take them to a charity organisation.

Old, broken toys should go into your red-lidded refuse bin.

Toys should never be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin as they can not be recycled and are contaminating the load.

Tyres can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Transfer Station and Kirknie Landfill.

Fees apply depending on the type and size of tyre. The disposal fee is contributed towards the cost of recycling the tyres.

Council is a member of Tyre Stewardship Australia and is commited to engaging accredited tyre recyclers to dispose of all tyres that are received at our waste management facilities.

Once processed the recycled material is utilised in:

• Playground and sporting surfaces
• Building insultation and tile adhesives
• Road construction
• Fuel for energy recovery
• New tyre manufacturing and brake pads
• Non-slip surfaces

Tyre recycling not only reduces the number of tyres sent to landfill but assists in creating a cleaner, healthier environment

Currently, thousands of tonnes of scrap tyres are illegally dumped every year and not only cost millions of dollars annually but also produce severe health hazards and environmental damage. The impact of dumped tyres include

• Dengue Fever - Even the smallest number of dumped tyres can create a dangerous breeding ground for mosquitoes that transport disease, such as Dengue Fever and the Ross River Virus.
• Tyre fires - Tyres are combustible. Once ignited, they are difficult to extinguish — producing chemical toxins that affect humans, flora, fauna, waterways and the atmosphere.
• Toxic tyres - Whether they are dumped, burnt or landfilled; every tyre that isn’t properly recycled leaches significant toxics and hazardous compounds into our environment.

Tyre recycling not only reduces the number of tyres sent to landfill but assists in creating a cleaner, healthier environment

For more information about Tyre Stewardship Australia and our commitment, visit www.tyrestewardship.org.au/.

Domestic households old vacuum cleaners can be disposed of at any of Council's waste facilities free of charge if sorted.

Fees apply to commercial waste.

You should not put household appliances in any of your wheelie bins.

Video tapes are unfortunately a thing of the past. If you know of someone that still has a working video recorder or player they may have some use of the tapes. If not simply dispose of your old, unwanted video tapes in your red-lidded refuse bin.

White goods are classed as large electrical goods used domestically such as fridges, freezers, washing machines and dryers, typically white in colour.

White goods can be taken to any of Council's Waste Transfer Stations or Kirknie Landfill.

Please note no commercial waste can be disposed of at the Clare Transfer Station.

Domestic customers can dispose of fridges and freezers free of charge. Commercial customers can dispose of degassed fridges and freezers free of charge but fees apply for units requiring de-gassing.

Council engages a contractor to extract the gas from un-degassed units. Once the units are degassed they are classed as scrap metal and recycled accordingly.

Unwanted wire should be placed in your red-lidded refuse bin.

It cannot be recycled and should not be placed in your yellow-lidded recycle bin. Items such as wire and rope cause the machinery at the recycling facility to malfunction or breakdown.

Alternately you can dispose of wire in the scrap metal recycling section of Council's waste management facilities.

Wood such as tree prunings and small branches from the garden can be placed into your lime green-lidded green waste bin. Organics and garden waste should never go into the yellow-lidded recycle bin.

Large amounts of both domestic and commercial green waste (including large logs and tree stumps) can be taken to Council's Ayr, Home Hill and Giru Waste Transfer Station or Kirknie Landfill free of charge.

Recovered garden waste is processed into mulch which Burdekin residents can collect free of charge from Council's Transfer Stations. Mulch needs to be loaded by the person taking it, as Council does not provide a loader on site. If you require a large amount of mulch you can arrange to bring a loader on site providing the operator has all the relevant tickets and public liability insurance. Please contact Council's Waste Services Team on (07) 4783 9800 if you require large quantities of mulch.

X-rays can be disposed of in your red-lidded refuse bin.

This is recyclable and can be disposed of in your yellow-lidded recycle bin