Recycling FAQs
Click a question to reveal the answer.
Q: What can be recycled in the orange sacks/banks?
Q: What can’t be recycled in the orange sacks and recycling banks and why?
Q: What happens to recycling during collection and sorting?
After orange sacks and orange-lidded banks are emptied into collection vehicles they go to the Smugglers Way Materials Recycling Facility (MRF). The MRF is a series of machinery and manual sorting processes that separates different recyclable items.
For example, magnets are used to sort steel and aluminium cans, while orange sacks are manually taken from a conveyor belt. The sorted materials are baled and stored ready to be transported to other sites to be made into new products.
For detailed information on what happens during collection and processing please visit the Western Riverside Waste Authority's website, or take a look at the Recycle Week blog post describing a visit by a group of residents to the MRF.
If you would like to visit the MRF keep an eye out for upcoming tours in Brightside and in press releases.
Q: Why isn’t a food waste collection provided?
Q: Why is the recycling collected mixed together in the orange sacks and recycling banks?
Q: How can I recycle materials that aren't collected through the orange sacks or recycling banks?
Q: Where does the recycling end up?
Q: Can I recycle envelopes with windows?
Q: Can I recycle shredded paper?
Q: Can I recycle aluminium foil?
