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Specialised school recycling list

Other recycling collection ideas for schools

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Many schools help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by gifting or taking particular waste items to special drop-off points. The list below provides some ideas for where to start.

Be a GREAT Sort! Landfill is the last resort.

Please note that government metropolitan schools are bound by a Common Use Arrangement (CUA) for disposal or recycling of some items such as e-waste.

Schools are considered as commercial organisations and are not always eligible for local council collection services. Call ahead to confirm.

Recycling agencies below include charities, non-government organisations, government departments, and businesses that recycle for free or for a small fee.

All information was correct at time of publication.

  • Household hazardous waste facility

Take batteries, chemicals or paint to special drop-off points or household hazardous waste facilities. Find your nearest drop-off points on the recycle right page. https://recycleright.wa.gov.au/find-my-nearest/

Council recycling collection programs for schools:

Other battery recycling programs for schools:

  • Rebuild bikes at school for Technology and Enterprise, then use them for health/fitness or a cycle club. Contact your local bike shop – you may be able to drop bikes off. Check out the local tip shop for old bikes.
  • Bicycles for Humanity Collects bicycles, repairs them and transports them to impoverished people to use as a mode of transport. https://b4hwa.com/
  • Dismantle A charity where mentors work with youths to teach them to strip and rebuild bikes. Each participant rebuilds two bikes, one is donated to charity and the participant is allowed to customize and keep the second bike. https://www.dismantle.org.au

  • Contact your local animal shelter or vet, or donate to a charity store.

  • The materials that make up blister packs include aluminium and plastic and cannot be recycled in normal recycling systems. Terracycle collect these to recycle into useful products. As the materials are not cost effective to dis-assemble, some chemists sponsor the Terracycle Zero Waste collection boxes or the Pharmacycle program.
  • Terracycle: A collection box can be purchased for a fee, or visit the website to locate a participating chemist: https://help.au.terracycle.com/hc/en-au/articles/4411217821325-How-can-I-recycle-blister-packs
  • Pharmacycle: Blister packs can also be recycled with the Pharmacycle program. Collection boxes involve a fee however there is a list of collection points on the website: https://www.pharmacycle.com.au/

  • Uplift Project Donates good-quality bras (including nursing bras and mastectomy bras) to women in disadvantaged communities where bras are often unattainable or unaffordable. Check the website for information on what they are collecting and how to make arrangements for your donation. www.upliftbras.org

  • TerraCycle: Bread bag closure recycling program Accepts all makes of bread tags. Sign up and once 1 kg of waste is collected, mail it to TerraCycle to be recycled. www.terracycle.com/en-AU/brigades/bread-bag-closures-au
  • Bread tags for wheelchairs Collects bread tags and sends their plastic to Transmutation, part of the Precious Plastic movement, who recycle the plastic into new items to be sold on. Profits from selling the bread tags fund wheelchairs. Find a local drop point or mail bread tags directly to South Australia (information on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aussiebreadtags).

  • Nespresso Return used capsules to the nearest shop, drop off at the nearest collection point, start a collection point at school, or return the capsules to the company using a prepaid envelope. More information is available on their website. https://www.nespresso.com/au/en/how-to-recycle-coffee-capsules
  • TerraCycle Currently has three programs to recycle the following groups of coffee pods: Seven Miles coffee pods; Nescafe Dolce Gusto; and L’Or, Moccona & Illy capsules. Go to their website to find out more. https://www.terracycle.com/en-AU/brigades

  • CDS scheme The container deposit scheme aims to reduce waste to landfill and litter by offering a 10-cent deposit on most drink containers. The 10-cent deposit is refunded when the drink container is returned. Set up a physical or virtual donation point at school to collect eligible containers and raise funds for the school community or another charity using the 10-cent deposit per container. www.containersforchange.com.au/wa/
  • Alternatively, place empty items loose with the lids off in your comingled recycling bin (except for the tetrapak containers which go in the general waste bin if not using the CDS scheme).

  • Working fridges should be donated to a local charity shop which accepts electrical goods. Non-working fridges can be de-gassed by a licensed electrician and turned into a fridge worm farm. Some councils provide degassed fridges to schools for free or for a small cost, check with your local council or landfill site.

  • Mobile Muster Free mobile phone recycling program in Australia. Download a free mailing sticker or start a collection point in your community. Collection is free.www.mobilemuster.com.au/
  • The Jane Goodall Institute of Australia When you send through 10 or more devices using the free courier service, PhoneCycle will wipe the memory and restore the device to resell, sending the proceeds to the Jane Goodall Institute, which works to help protect endangered chimpanzees, gorillas and their habitat. https://www.thejanegoodallinstitute.com/the_forest_is_calling

  • GiveWrite is an NGO which donates new and pre-loved school stationary to recycle, repackage and regift to WA kids in need who start the school year with nothing. Run a donation drive or leave at a public donation point. https://givewrite.org.au/
  • TerraCycle: Writing Implements Recycling Program Accepts any brand of pen, felt tip, highlighter, marker, correction fluid pot (must be empty), correction tape, mechanical pencil and eraser pen regardless of their composition. No wooden pencils. https://www.terracycle.com/en-AU/brigades/writing-instruments-recycling-au

  • Claw Environmental Recycles rigid plastics, including polypropylene (number 5) and high density polyetheylene (number 2). Go to their website to find out about conditions required for free drop-off at Claw Environmental in Welshpool for each type of plastic. https://www.clawenvironmental.com/

  • Bottle Top Hill is a community collection and education hub for plastic lids. The volunteers run a community collection event monthly (second Saturday) in Melville, for schools, businesses and the general public. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/BottleTopHill/
  • CLAW recycling accepts clean plastic bottle tops for recycling in Welshpool. For more information please contact: admin@clawenvironmental.com
  • Containers for Change Lids from eligible containers can be returned to refund points, but you’ll need to remove them from the containers before you receive a refund. All refund point depots will have dedicated bins where you can return your container lids. For bag drops, place them loosely in the bag. https://www.containersforchange.com.au/wa/
  • Precious Plastic Perth A volunteer-run collective that collects and recycles plastic lids by breaking them down into plastic pellets and creating new products which are sold in their community hubs and online. Drop off your plastic lids at one of their collection hubs. They have also partnered with a senior college in Perth so students could build a plastic recycling hub at school. https://www.preciousplasticperth.com.au/
  • TerraCycle: Bottle Caps Zero Waste Box Order a zero waste box (small, medium or large) and start collecting plastic and metal bottle caps. Once the box is full, use the prepaid postage label and send the box back to TerraCycle to be recycled. Metal bottle caps are smelted and recycled and plastic bottle caps undergo extrusion and pelletisation to be turned into new plastic products. https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/zero_waste_boxes/bottle-caps

  • Cartridges4PlanetArt Planet Ark has set up drop-off locations for printer cartridges and made it very easy to set up your own collection. Register for a box and once full, download a free postage-paid return label to send the cartridges for recycling. https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/cartridges4planetark/howto

  • Claw Environmental Recycles electronic and white goods packaging, eskies, boxes, and insulation. Go to their website to find out about conditions required for free drop-off at Claw Environmental in Welshpool or at one of the alternative EPS recycling centres. https://www.clawenvironmental.com

  • REDcycle (CURRENTLY PAUSED) Snack wrappers, such as silver-lined chip and cracker packets or chocolate wrappers, can be recycled as part of the soft plastics program by REDcycle. REDcycle operates free drop-off points throughout Australia, commonly found in grocery shops. Find drop-off points and a comprehensive list of what is accepted at the link on their website. 

  • REDcycle (CURRENTLY PAUSED) REDcycle operates free drop-off points throughout Australia, commonly found in grocery shops. Find drop-off points and a comprehensive list of what is accepted on their website. 

Ziplock bags and cling wrap

  • FairGame Fair Game collects preloved sports equipment and distributes it in response to specific requests from under-serviced communities in Australia, to improve the health and fitness of communities. https://www.fairgame.org.au/

  • GiveWrite is an NGO which donates new and pre-loved school stationary to recycle, repackage and regift to WA kids in need who start the school year with nothing. Run a donation drive or leave at a public donation point.  http://givewrite.org.au/