Somerset Regional Council is introducing a uniform waste and recycling service across the region this financial year.

Recycling bins for residents with kerbside waste collection, in the former Esk Shire Council area, will be distributed throughout August with services scheduled to start in September.

Residents in the former Kilcoy Shire Council area will also have their 140 litre general waste bin replaced with a 240 litre in the coming months.

Somerset Regional Council's waste recycling program accepts the following five types of waste in yellow lid recycling bins:

1. Glass: jars and bottles
2. Metal: aluminium and steel (drink and aerosol cans, food tins)
3. Plastic: bottles and containers (milk, soft drink and shampoo bottles, yoghurt/ice-cream tubs)
4. Cardboard: boxes (including pizza boxes)
5. Paper: newspapers, magazines, junk mail and office paper

Important: Recycle empty containers only, keep it loose and don’t bag it.

Recyclable items

Refer below for a list of recyclable items and the best place to recycle them. For more information about recycling please check out Council’s downloadable Recycling Brochure.

Bathroom

Kitchen

Garage

Garden

E-Waste

Print cartridges

Residents can drop off used or empty laser and inkjet cartridges at all Officeworks and participating Australia Post, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and JB Hi-Fi outlets. Check the vendors website for details.

Household batteries

Some stores offer free battery recycling. Visit the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative (ABRI) or Planet Ark websites for more information.

Other

Queensland Container Refund Scheme

• Queensland uses almost three billion beverage containers each year and most of these end up littering our beautiful state, despite the fact that drink containers can easily be recycled.
• On 1 November 2018 the State introduced its new container refund scheme Containers for Change, where most glass, plastic, aluminium, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and 3L (displaying the special refund mark) are eligible for a 10c refund per container when returned to a designated refund point.
• Visit the Containers for Change website to find out more about the types of eligible containers, the refund point operators and related information.

Recycling FAQs

Q: What material types can be recycled by council?

A: There are five categories of materials which can be recycled through your yellow lid recycling bin as part of the fortnightly kerbside collection service. They are:

1. Glass: jars and bottles
2. Metal: aluminium and steel (drink and aerosol cans, food tins)
3. Plastic: bottles and containers (milk, soft drink and shampoo bottles, yoghurt/ice-cream tubs)
4. Cardboard: boxes (including pizza boxes)
5. Paper: newspapers, magazines, junk mail and office paper

Q: Do I need to wash my plastic bottles and containers before placing them in the yellow lid recycling bin?

A: All that council requires is for the bottles and/or containers to be empty. If you would like to give them a rinse to keep smells out of your bin that is okay.

Q: Where does recycled material currently go?

A: It goes to Visy Recycling which is a materials recovery facility (MRF) for sorting and bailing and is then sent to Australian and overseas markets. Heavily contaminated loads may go to landfill.

Q: Why does it cost so much to recycle?

A: Until recently, there was an overseas market for recyclable materials, but as tighter contamination controls were imposed by other countries, such as China, those markets have all but closed. This has driven up the cost for processing recycling and many councils now need to find new markets for these recyclable materials. At this moment, there are limited suitable options in Australia.

Q: Do I leave lids on or off for recycling?

A: Leave lids off plastic milk and drink bottles and remove lids from glass bottles and jars and place lids in the recycling bin.

Q: Can I use a plastic bin liner in my recycle bin?

A: Plastic bin liners or plastic bags (to collect recyclable items) are not accepted in the recycling bin as they contaminate the load. Any recycling load contaminated with plastic bags is sent to landfill.

Q:  Where do I find further information about what can and cannot be recycled?

A: View our Recycling Brochure and find further detailed recycling information on the Somerset Bin App. Please focus on the items that are listed as being accepted in the recycling bin. If it is not on that list, please do not place it in the recycling bin. Also, regularly check this page for updated information.

Q: Who do I contact if I have further questions about recycling in Somerset?

A: Please call the Somerset Regional Council Customer Service Centre on (07) 5424 4000.

Sort your waste with the Somerset Bin App

Download the new Somerset Bin App to find out what items can go into your recycling and general waste bins. The app takes the confusion out of waste sorting so you can be confident your waste is going in the right bin.

The app also reminds you when your rubbish bin gets collected and if it's your recycling week. To download, please visit the Somerset Bin App page.

For more information on recycling contact the Council Customer Service Centre on (07) 5424 4000 or email mail@somerset.qld.gov.au