Summary
Wimmera Mallee Waste Management (WMWM), on behalf of the West Wimmera Shire Council, conducted an audit of glass and co-mingle recycling across the shire during November 2024. This audit was aimed at identifying community recycling trends and how effectively residents are using their recycling services.
Key findings
Glass
From September 2023 to November 2024, contamination in glass recycling increased from 1.3% to 1.7%. This suggests a slight rise in incorrect materials being placed in glass bins.
Co-mingle (yellow recycling bin)
Contamination in co-mingle recycling increased from 15.1% to 26.2% in the same period. Glass made up 2.4% of the co-mingle recycling, which is a decrease from the previous year’s 3%.
Recycling contamination
Glass recycling
Common contaminants in glass recycling include wine collars, loose jar and bottle lids, and other non-glass materials. It is unclear whether these materials were attached to glass containers during disposal or if residents placed them in the bin separately. Another significant issue was the presence of animal waste, which could have originated from a single source.
[Picture: Sorted acceptable glass includes a significant amount of contamination, primarily due to label]
Co-mingle recycling
Despite the availability of glass recycling bins, 2.4% of materials in co-mingle bins were glass. This suggests some residents may still be unaware of the correct process for glass disposal. Other contaminants found in co-mingle recycling included bagged waste, general waste, and green waste. The presence of these materials indicates that while residents are making an effort to recycle, some are not following the correct guidelines.
[Picture: Unaccepted bag waste. Workers at the material’s recovery facility are not allowed to manually open bagged or bundled items and the machinery used in this process does not have the capability to open these items.]
How residents can help
- Ensure only clean, accepted glass items go into glass recycling bins.
- Avoid placing glass in co-mingle recycling bins.
- Do not include general waste, food scraps, or green waste in recycling bins.
- Check updated recycling guidelines to reduce contamination.
What goes in each bin?
Glass recycling
Yes
- Rinsed glass bottles, including beer, wine and olive oil bottles
- Rinsed glass jars, including pasta sauce and condiment jars
- Rinsed glass bottles and jars for medicine and toiletries
No
- Plastic bags or packaging
- Lids and caps from bottles or jars
- Corks
- Pumps
- Sprayers
- Droppers
- Cardboard
- Crockery, such as plates, dishes, mugs, drinking glasses, glass cookware
- Vases
- Light bulbs
Mixed recycling
Yes
- Aluminium Aerosol Cans (empty)
- Aluminium Cans
- Cardboard
- Egg Cartons
- Glass Bottles and Jars
- Juice cartons (fresh, no foil lining)
- Magazines
- Milk cartons (fresh, no foil lining)
- Newspapers
- Office Paper
- Pizza Boxes (clean)
- Steel Food Cans
- Steel Aerosol Cans (empty)
- Plastics marked with 1, 2 or 5
No
- Window face envelopes
- Cardboard boxes with plastic inserts
- Gloss paper/cardboard
- Magazines and glossy junk mail
- Plastic and metal lids
- Foil containers (meals on wheels) which are empty of all food
- Batteries
- Bubble Wrap
- Car parts
- Ceramics, Pyrex glass, Ovenware
- Clothes
- Corks
- Cups, plates, wine and drinking glasses
- Food scraps
- Garden organic waste
- Large metal items
- Light bulbs
- Luggage
- Mirrors
- Nappies
- Plastic bags
- Polystyrene Foam
- Shoes
- Shredded Paper
- Soft plastics (can be scrunched)
- Syringes/Needles
- Waxy Cardboard
- Long-life liquid cartons with foil lining (also known as UHT cartons or Tetra Paks)
General rubbish
Yes
- Broken glassware, crockery and mirrors
- Loose jar lids and bottle caps
- Nappies, wet wipes, kitty litter, animal droppings
- Food, organic or green waste
- Old clothing, shoes or textiles
- Pumps, sprays, and droppers
No
- Electronic waste
- Batteries
- Household chemicals
- Recyclable items
- Soil
- Building materials
Recommendations
The audit shows that while community members are making efforts to recycle, more education is needed to reduce contamination. If contamination continues to rise, entire loads of co-mingle recycling risk being reclassified as general waste, leading to higher disposal costs.
West Wimmera Shire Council will continue to support the community with updated recycling information and educational campaigns to ensure correct recycling habits. Residents are encouraged to follow best practices and help keep our recycling streams clean and effective.
More information:
Glass recycling
Rubbish, recycling and landfill
Transfer station information
Bin collection information