A - Z of recycling and waste disposal
This table will help you determine the best way to dispose of unwanted items and easily identify what can be recycled or recovered. Find your items on the list and match it with the action key.
If you prefer, you can download a printable version:
Action key
| 1 | General waste - red lid bin |
| 2 | Recycling - yellow lid bin |
| 3 | Garden organics - green lid bin |
| 4 | Recycled free at all WMF |
| 5 | General waste at all WMF |
| 6 | Community Recycling Centre at Surf Beach WMF |
| 7 | Household Chemical Cleanout |
| 8 | Hard Waste Collection |
| 9 | Surf Beach and Brou WMF |
| 10 | Compost bin/worm farm |
| 11 | Charity |
| 12 | Call Council on 02 4474 1024 |
| 13 | Accepted at all WMF |
A-Z guide
Know what you're looking for? Jump to a specific section: A-D E-K L-P S-X
| Waste type | Action | |
|---|---|---|
| Acids and alkalis | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off for free. |
| Aerosol cans (empty) | 2 4 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Aluminium cans | 2 4 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Aluminium foil | 2 4 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Animal droppings | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded general waste bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Asbestos | 12 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou Waste Management Facilities. Asbestos waste must be wet down, wrapped in thick plastic (or double wrapped in plastic) and taped down. Bookings are essential, contact our waste management facilities to arrange a time to dispose of asbestos waste. Visit our asbestos disposal page or our public health page on asbestos for more information. |
| Batteries (car) | 4 6 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Batteries (household) | 4 6 7 12 | Bring to Counci's customer service centre in Moruya, Eurobodalla libraries, or any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Books | 2 4 11 | Donate to charity or second hand book stores, or place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Bottles (plastic/glass) | 2 4 | Clean green, brown and clear glass bottles and jars can be placed in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Bricks | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Broken glass | 1 5 |
Broken glass from windows and mirrors is accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. Small amounts can be placed in your red lidded garbage bin (wrapped and bagged). Glass bottles can go into your yellow lidded recycling bin. |
| Bubble wrap | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded general waste bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Building materials | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Cars | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Cardboard | 2 4 10 | Clean cardboard (not wax-coated) can be placed in your yellow lidded recycling bin, compost bin, worm farm, and is accepted at all waste management facilities. |
| Carpet | 5 8 | Accepted at all waste management facilities, and carpet rolls up to 1.5m wide will be accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection. |
| Chemicals | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off for free. |
| Chip packets | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Cleaning products | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off for free. |
| Cling wrap | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Clothing | 1 5 11 | Donate to charity if clean and in good condition or place in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Coffee cups | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Computers & accessories | 4 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Concrete | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Cooking oil | 4 6 | Cooking oil (but not bio-diesel residue) is accepted at any waste management facility free of charge. |
| Crockery | 1 5 8 | Place in your red lidded bin, accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities. |
| Dead animals | 9 | Small and large dead animals accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Disposable nappies | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Drums (empty) | 4 | Empty, eligible agricultural and veterinary chemical drums are accepted at all waste management facilities as part of the drumMuster program. Bookings are required for more than 20 drums. Drums must be rinsed free of any visible chemical residue, be clean and dry, punctured if they are metal, and all lids must be removed upon delivery. |
| DVD player | 4 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Electronic equipment | 4 | TVs, computers, monitors, printers, scanners, stereos, DVD and video players, set-top boxes are accepted at all waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Exercise equipment | 4 8 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities. |
| Fertilisers | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off for free. |
| Fire extinguishers | 6 7 | Domestic quantities accepted free of charge at the Surf Beach Community Recycling Centre all year round and at Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off at collection points for free. |
| Flares | 12 | Transport for NSW run a mobile collection program for unused or out of date marine flares. |
| Fluorescent tubes | 4 6 7 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Fridges | 4 8 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Fruit/vegetable scraps | 1 5 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or red lidded general waste bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Fuel | 7 | Store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off at collection points for free. |
| Furniture | 8 9 11 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection, at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities, and some charities may accept as a donation if clean and in good condition. |
| Garden waste | 3 10 13 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or your lime-green lidded garden organics bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). You can also bring environmental weeds to our regular plant swaps to exchange them for free native plants. |
| Gas cylinders | 6 7 | Domestic quantities accepted free of charge at the Surf Beach Community Recycling Centre and at Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off at collection points for free. |
| Hot water system | 4 8 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Ink cartridges | 4 12 | Bring to Council's customer service centre in Moruya, Eurobodalla libraries, or any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Jars (plastic/glass) | 2 4 | Clean green, brown and clear glass bottles and jars can be placed in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities) |
| Kitty litter | 1 5 | Bag and place in red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Lawn clippings | 3 10 13 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or your lime-green lidded garden organics bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Lids (smaller than a credit card) | 1 5 | Either push the lid inside the plastic container it came with and place the container in your yellow lidded recycling bin OR place the lid on its own in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities, small lids can be recycled if they are contained). |
| Lids (larger than a credit card) | 2 4 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities, large lids can be recycled). |
| Magazines | 2 4 11 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Mattresses | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Meat trays (foam) | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Medicines | 7 12 | You can return your old and unwanted medicines to any pharmacy for free and safe disposal. Also accepted at. Council's annual chemical clean out. |
| Milk containers | 2 4 | Push the lid into the empty container, and place plastic milk containers in your yellow lidded recycling bin (containers are accepted at all waste management facilities, and lids under a certain size can still be recycled if they are contained). |
| Mobile phones | 4 12 | Accepted at Council's customer service centre in Moruya, many phone retailers, and at all waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Motor oil | 4 6 7 | Accepted at all waste management facilities free of charge (empty motor oil containers also accepted). Visit our used motor oil disposal page for more information. |
| Needles/syringes | 7 12 | Accepted at our annual chemical clean out, and at Community Health sharps disposal bins at:
|
| Newspaper | 2 4 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Oven | 4 8 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Paint | 6 7 | Domestic quantities (maximum 20 litres) accepted free of charge at the Surf Beach Community Recycling Centre and at annual chemical clean out. Visit our paint disposal page for more information. |
| Paint tins (dry only) | 4 | Empty paint tins (dry) can be taken to any of the waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Paper (excluding shredded paper) | 2 4 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Paper towel | 1 5 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Pesticides | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off for free. |
| Pet food tins | 2 4 | Label clearly, package and store at home until the Council's annual chemical clean out. Visit our pesticide disposal page for more information. |
| Petrol | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off at collection points for free. |
| Pizza boxes (empty) | 2 4 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Plastic bags | 12 | Don’t purchase or reuse plastic bags whenever possible or place in your red lidded garbage bin. |
| Plastic bottles and containers | 2 4 | Push lids inside otherwise empty plastic bottles and containers, and place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (containers are accepted at all waste management facilities, and lids under a certain size can still be recycled if they are contained. Lids larger than a credit card can be placed directly into the yellow lidded recycling bin) |
| Poisons | 7 | Clearly label and store at home until Council's annual chemical clean out, where you can drop them off for free. |
| Polystyrene packaging | 1 4 | Accepted at all waste management facilities, free of charge, and small amounts can be placed in your red lidded bin. |
| Printers/scanners | 4 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Scrap metal | 4 | Bring to any waste management facility or put out at Council's annual hard waste collection (accepted free of charge). |
| Shredded paper | 1 5 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Smoke detectors | 6 7 | Domestic smoke detectors accepted free of charge at the Surf Beach Community Recycling Centre and at Council's annual chemical clean out, |
| Soil | 12 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities, call Council on 4474 1024 for more information. |
| Solar panels | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Steel cans | 2 4 | Place in your yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Stereos | 4 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Televisions | 4 | Bring to any waste management facility (accepted free of charge). |
| Timber | 9 | Accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Tissues | 1 5 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Toothbrushes/tubes | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Toys | 5 8 11 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities. Charities may accept as a donation if clean and in good condition. |
| Tree prunings | 3 13 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or lime-green lidded garden organics bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Tyres | 9 | Limited number accepted at Surf Beach and Brou waste management facilities. |
| Vacuum cleaner dust | 1 5 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or bagged in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| Waxed cardboard | 1 5 | Place in your red lidded garbage bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| White goods | 4 8 | Accepted at Council's annual hard waste collection and at all waste management facilities, free of charge. |
| Wrapping paper | 2 4 10 | Place in your compost bin, worm farm, or yellow lidded recycling bin (accepted at all waste management facilities). |
| X-rays | 12 | X-rays can be recycled - they are processed to extract silver. Batemans Bay Scouts accept x-rays for recycling. Remove the doctor's report then slip your x-rays under the door of the Scout Hall at any time:
|
More information
Find out more information about how to safely dispose of various hazardous waste items:
We can help you
If you have any questions about items that can be recycled or recovered, please contact Council's Waste Services:
- T: 4474 1024
- E: Council's Waste Services