Not everything belongs in your yellow recycling bin.

Some everyday items are made from materials that can’t be processed through Brisbane’s kerbside recycling system. Others need specialist recycling or disposal because they contain materials that can be hazardous or difficult to separate.

The good news is that not belonging in your yellow bin doesn’t always mean an item has to go to landfill.

From batteries and old electronics to blister packs and polystyrene, here are eight common hard-to-recycle items and what to do with them in Brisbane.

Before you throw something out, check it first. Brisbane City Council’s Brisbane Bin and Recycling app and item disposal tool can help you find the right option for your item.

1. Batteries

Batteries might be small, but they can cause big problems when they end up in household bins.

Never put batteries in your yellow, red or green bin. Batteries can cause fires in waste and recycling collection vehicles and processing facilities.

Many household batteries can be recycled through B-cycle drop-off points, including batteries from remotes, toys and other household items. Brisbane City Council’s resource recovery centres also accept batteries and items containing batteries, including rechargeable, lithium and power bank batteries.

What to do

• Collect household batteries separately rather than putting them in your bins.
• Take common household batteries to a B-cycle drop-off point or participating recycling hub.
• Take lithium, power bank, lead-acid car and solar batteries to a Council resource recovery centre.
• Never put a damaged, swollen or leaking battery in a household bin. These require special handling.

Powerhack: Keep a small container at home for used batteries so they’re ready for your next trip to a drop-off point.

Find a battery recycling location: B-cycle Battery Recycling

2. Old phones, computers and other e-waste

Got an old phone in a drawer? A box of tangled cables? A toaster that has finally given up?
These are all examples of e-waste.

E-waste includes products that use a battery, power cord or both. It can contain valuable materials that can be recovered and used again, so it shouldn’t go in your household bins.

What to do

If it’s still working, consider whether someone else could use it. Donate it, sell it or have it repaired before recycling it.

When it has reached the end of its useful life, you can take e-waste to one of Brisbane’s resource recovery centres. Small e-waste items are also accepted at some community recycling hubs.

Mobile phones can also be recycled through MobileMuster.

Powerhack: Before replacing an electronic item, check whether it can be repaired or whether someone else could use it.

Find an e-waste recycling option: E-waste recycling

3. Polystyrene

Polystyrene packaging can be one of those awkward items left over after unpacking furniture, appliances or electronics.

It doesn’t belong in your yellow bin, but clean polystyrene blocks can be taken to Brisbane City Council resource recovery centres for recycling. Household quantities of up to 5 cubic metres are accepted.

What to do

• Keep polystyrene clean and separate from other waste.
• Take clean polystyrene blocks to a Council resource recovery centre.
• Don’t put polystyrene in your yellow bin.

Powerhack: If you’re buying a large item, ask the retailer whether they can take the packaging back.

4. Blister packs

Those foil-and-plastic sheets used to package medicines can be tricky to recycle because they’re made from more than one material.

They don’t belong in your yellow bin, but some Brisbane community recycling hubs accept blister packs for specialist recycling.

What to do

• Empty the medication from the blister pack.
• Check your nearest community recycling hub to see whether it accepts blister packs.
• Don’t put blister packs in your yellow bin.

For unwanted or expired medicines, speak to your local pharmacy about safe disposal rather than putting medicines down the drain or in your household recycling.

Powerhack: Keep blister packs in a small container and drop them off when you’ve collected enough for a trip.

5. Cosmetic packaging

Empty beauty and skincare packaging can be surprisingly difficult to recycle through your household bin.

Items such as mascara tubes, lipstick tubes, makeup containers, foundation packaging and perfume bottles may be accepted through some Brisbane community recycling hubs, depending on the location.

What to do

• Empty the packaging before recycling it.
• Check your nearest community recycling hub to see what it accepts.
• Put standard shampoo, conditioner and soap bottles in your yellow bin, as these are recyclable through kerbside collection.

Powerhack: Before buying a new product, see whether you can reuse or refill the container.

6. Coffee pods

Coffee pods are small, but their combination of materials and leftover coffee grounds means they’re not suitable for Brisbane’s yellow bin.

The good news is that there are specialist recycling programs available.

Council currently points residents towards the Nespresso recycling program, which accepts any brand of coffee pod through participating drop-off locations. Plastic pod users should also check whether their manufacturer offers a take-back program.

What to do

• Don’t put coffee pods in your yellow bin.
• Check whether your coffee pod brand has a recycling program.
• Use a participating coffee capsule drop-off point where available.

Powerhack: If you’re a regular coffee pod user, keep an empty container next to your coffee machine for used pods and empty it when you’re ready to make a recycling trip.

7. Fluorescent globes and tubes

Fluorescent lights contain mercury, so they need to be handled carefully and shouldn’t go in your yellow or red bin.

Brisbane City Council resource recovery centres accept fluorescent light bulbs and tubes for recycling.

What to do

• Keep old fluorescent globes and tubes intact where possible.
• Take them to a Council resource recovery centre.
• If a fluorescent tube breaks, avoid contact with the material and follow appropriate hazardous waste advice.

Powerhack: If you’re replacing fluorescent lighting, consider whether LED lighting could be a more efficient option for your home.

8. Paint and household chemicals

Paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals and some cleaning products shouldn’t simply be poured down the drain or placed in your household bins.

Brisbane’s resource recovery centres accept paint and some other hazardous materials, while some household chemicals are accepted during Council’s free hazardous waste drop-off days.

What to do

• Keep products in their original containers.
• Don’t mix chemicals together.
• Check Council’s hazardous waste guidance before transporting them.
• Take paint and accepted hazardous items to a resource recovery centre.
• Check for upcoming free hazardous waste drop-off days for items that aren’t accepted year-round.

Powerhack: If you’re doing a painting job, measure carefully and only buy what you need. Using leftover paint is better than having to dispose of it.

What about soft plastics?

Soft plastics often cause confusion because they can’t go in your yellow recycling bin.

In Brisbane, items such as chip packets, bread bags, pasta bags, cling wrap and other film-like plastics should currently go in your red general waste bin rather than your yellow bin.

While specialist recycling options may exist for some products, always check the current disposal instructions before taking soft plastics to a collection point.

Remember: If it can be scrunched easily, don’t put it in your yellow bin.

Before you throw it out, check it out

Recycling rules can change as new recycling programs and facilities become available.

The easiest way to find the right option for an item is to check before you put it in a bin.

Brisbane City Council’s recycling tools can help you:

• Check what belongs in your yellow, red or green bin.
• Find your nearest community recycling hub.
• Find a resource recovery centre.
• Check whether a particular item can be recycled or needs another disposal option.

Council currently has more than 50 community recycling hub locations, although what each location accepts varies. Always check the individual location before making a trip.

Check Brisbane City Council’s recycling and disposal guide

The golden rule of recycling

When in doubt, don’t put it in the yellow bin.

Putting the wrong items in your recycling bin can contaminate other recyclable materials and make sorting more difficult.

Brisbane’s yellow bin is for:

• Paper
• Cardboard
• Firm plastics
• Glass containers
• Steel and aluminium containers

Items should be loose, not placed inside plastic bags.

If something doesn’t belong there, check whether it has another recycling or disposal pathway before putting it in your red bin.