According to Planet Ark, over 2 billion aluminium cans are recycled every year in Australia. Every can that is recycled saves enough energy to power a television set for 3 hours!
For small quantities, place them into the yellow lidded recycling bin. For large quantities, take them to:

Location: Riverside Drive, Minnamurra
Phone: (02) 4237 5148
Fax: (02) 4237 5149
Email: council@kiama.nsw.gov.au
Operating Hours: 8:00 am to 4:00pm 7 days excluding Christmas Day, New Years Day and Good Friday.
According to Planet Ark, over 2 billion aluminium cans are recycled every year in Australia. Every can that is recycled saves enough energy to power a television set for 3 hours! To find out more interesting facts visit www.planetark.com.au
Place aluminium cans, aerosol cans and steel cans into your yellow lidded recycling bin.
Asbestos fibres are hazardous when inhaled. They can be released into the air when asbestos products are incorrectly handled, stored or transported for disposal.
Information on safe removal practices for asbestos is available at www.nsw.gov.au/fibro and www.workcover.nsw.gov.au
A website has been designed to provide home renovators with safety information for safe handling for hazardous materials, including asbestos at www.diysafe.nsw.gov.au
Asbestos waste must be disposed of at a licensed landfill. It is illegal to dispose of asbestos waste in domestic garbage bins. It is also illegal to re-use, recycle or illegally dump asbestos products.
NSW licensed landfills which accept asbestos waste from the public are listed below:
Dalmeny |
Brou Landfill Facility, Brou Lake Road, Dalmeny; (02) 4476 8354 |
Dunmore |
Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot, Buckleys Road, Dunmore; (02) 4237 7546 |
Nowra |
West Nowra Recycling and Waste Facility, Flat Rock Road, Nowra; (02) 4429 3374 |
Surf Beach |
Surf Beach Waste Depot, Off George Bass Drive, Surf Beach; (02) 4471 2462 |
Most landfills will not accept asbestos without prior booking or notification. Always contact the landfill beforehand to find out when asbestos is accepted and any requirements for delivering asbestos to the landfill.
For removal of asbestos by demolition contractors in the Illawarra/Shoalhaven, see the construction and demolition recycling directory at:
http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/data/cd_directory_syd.pdf
The cadmium in nickel cadmium rechargeable batteries (NiCads) is a highly toxic heavy metal. Car batteries also contain lead and highly corrosive acid. In European countries, NiCads can be fully recycled. However, in Australia this facility is not yet available, though some manufacturers do accept them back for recycling.
Nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries (NiMHs) don’t contain toxic materials and can therefore be disposed with your household waste. Using rechargeable batteries will mean fewer batteries going to landfill.
When you’re transporting a battery, handle it very carefully and ensure the acid doesn’t leak out.
In no instance should you burn batteries. This releases dangerous fumes and can cause an explosion.
Minnamurra Recycling Depot provides free disposal of all scrap metal including alkaline, car and truck batteries.
Give your old books a new home by donating them to a local charity, school or a friend. You can also sell your books through newspaper/Internet and at second hand book stores.
Another option is to trade them through organisations over the internet such as Book Crossing, the world's biggest free book club. Visit www.bookcrossing.com
If your books are unusable, recycle books made entirely out of paper and cardboard in your yellow lidded recycling bin . Make sure to remove any metal binding and plastic coatings and place these in your red lidded recycling bin.
Only metal bottle tops can be recycled. Place metal bottle tops in your yellow lidded recycling bin. Dispose of plastic bottle tops with your usual household waste.
Bricks and tiles are great items to reuse around the home. Bricks set in softer mortar can actually be re-used. If they have too much cement, and therefore cannot be reused, they can be crushed and used for aggregates, fill or paving sand/gravel.
Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot at Buckleys Road, Dunmore will accept separated bricks, tiles, concrete and terracotta pipes. Phone: 4237 7546
Port Kembla Builders Landfill and Recycling Facility – Cleary Bros at 33 Five Islands Road, Port Kembla – Phone: 4274 0323 will accept clean separated recyclable materials, including:
Metals
Timber
Green Waste
Clean Masonry (concrete, brick, tile)
Total recycling NSW Pty Ltd
Location: Lot 9 Illawarra Highway Albion Park
Phone: Bernie Delaney on 0417 233 993.
Will accept clean, sorted masonry (concrete, brick, block, tile)
South Coast Concrete Crushing & Recycling
Location: Oak Flats
Phone: 4256 3411
Will accept clean, sorted masonry (concrete, brick ,block ,tile)

Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot
Location: Buckleys Road Dunmore
Phone: 4237 7546
Will accept clean bricks, clean timber, concrete, rubble
John Green Demolition
Location: 5/7 Mye Place Albion Park Rail
Phone: 4256 3715 or contact Bud Green on 0418 276 376
Sell recycled building materials and reusable items.
It’s estimated that 1.5 million toner cartridges are used annually in Australia, which leads to 1,500 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste. We also throw away up to 1.2 million ink jet cartridges and 250,000 laser cartridges per month! (Only 15% are recycled).
PlanetArk and Close the Loop have launched Cartridges 4 Planet Ark. Under the program, laser cartridges are sent to the original equipment manufacturers for their remanufacturing or component recovery programs. All inkjet cartridges, toner bottles and laser drums are processed to recycle their component materials into new precuts. All are recycled into new products or reused in new applications.
The Cleanaway Close the Loop program provides a free service for collection and disposal of printer cartridges. This service is offered at no charge. Follow the link for more information:
http://www.cleanaway.com.au/CLWY.1180332:STANDARD:1030050146:pc=PC_27
Drop off your used cartridges in specially marked boxes at participating Australia Post and Harvey Norman outlets and Cartridge World Shellharbour Shop 1/17-19 Industrial Road Oak Flats. Phone Cartridge World on 4256 3010.
A full list of collection outlets is provided at http://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au

Approximately 18 million waste tyres or EPUs (equivalent passenger (tyre) units) need to be disposed of annually in Australia. The disposal of used tyres at waste depots can cause problems and therefore requires specialised methods of disposal.
Theoretically, it’s possible to recover the raw materials from tyres, though there is little or no disposal by this method due to the high cost. Of the 15 million tyres disposed of annually, a number are retreads. Retreading represents tyre re-use rather than tyre recycling and it ultimately only delays tyre disposal.
Pacific Dunlop has established a national tyre collection service. Sims Tyrecycle collects scrap and imperfect tyres from manufacturers, retailers, local councils and other sources, and disposes of them in accordance with environmental regulations. The company is the largest tyre recycler in Australia, collecting and disposing of approximately seven million tyre units (EPU’s), and supplying approximately ten thousand metric tonnes of high quality crumb annually. In addition, over 2500 metric tonnes of steel is recycled through the same process.
The crumb is widely used in tyre manufacturing, road repairs, soft fall surfacing, horse arenas, brake pads, tile adhesives, insulation purposes and sporting surfaces, etc.
The remaining tyres are used mainly for civil engineering projects, fuel for energy recovery systems and drainage aggregates.
Tyre businesses, listed as follows, accept old tyres for a disposal fee of about $3 per tyre:
JaxQuickFit Tyres Pty Ltd
Location: 260 Shellharbour Road Warilla NSW 2528
Telephone: 02 4296 4666
Fax: 02 4296 4777
Email: warilla@jaxquickfit.com.au
Goodyear Auto Service Centre
Location: City Centre
Address: 306 Keira St Wollongong 2500
Phone: (02) 4229 1555
Website: www.goodyear.com.au
Each tyre business uses Sims TyreCycle NSW for collection of large quantities of tyres. If you have more than 4 tyres to dispose of you should contact:
Sims TyreCycle NSW
Cnr Mamre and Erskine Park Roads, Erskine Park NSW Australia 2759
Contact: Laurie Fog
Tel: (02) 9834 6111
Fax: (02) 9834 5463
Or Follow the link below to fill out a tyre collection form:
http://www.simsmetal.com.au/tyrecycle/tyre-recycling/tyre-recycling_sc.asp
Cardboard can be recycled in your household recycling bin. Cardboard includes tissue boxes, egg cartons, pizza boxes (provided there are no food scraps in them) and other cartons (like cereal or biscuit boxes). The only exception is waxed cardboard (like fruit boxes) which must be disposed of in your garbage bin.
Extra cardboard and paper can be recycled at:
Minnamurra Recycling Depot
Location: Riverside Drive, Dunmore
Phone: (02) 4237 5148
Fax: (02) 4237 5149
Email: council@kiama.nsw.gov.au
Operating Hours: 8:00 am to 4:00pm 7 days excluding Christmas Day, New Years Day and Good Friday.
Birthday, Christmas, Get Well and other greeting cards made of paper or cardboard can be recycled in your recycling bin at home.
After Christmas and during the month of January, the Cards4Planetark program provides other locations where you can recycle your cards including:
AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY
ChemClear is leading the way to providing a safe and easy collection and disposal service for all agricultural and veterinary chemical users throughout Australia. ChemClear is a national industry funded initiative designed as a cost effective way to collect unused and unwanted currently registered chemicals.
Which chemicals are collected free of charge?
Chemicals that are still registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Manufacturers Association (APVMA) and are supplied by Avcare, VMDA or participating companies are collected free of charge.
Which chemicals attract a fee for disposal?
Unregistered or scheduled waste attracts a disposal fee per litre/kg.
Who can use the program?
ChemClear collects unwanted chemicals from agriculture and commercial livestock production, forestry, commercial pest and weed control operators, including local, state and federal government activities and resellers.
How do I register?
For further information, advice and bookings http://www.chemclear.com.au or phone 1800 008182
HOUSEHOLD
It can be dangerous to throw away household chemicals in the rubbish, down drains, toilets or sinks, or down the stormwater drain outside.
Chemicals and pesticides can harm our environment and human health. It is important to make sure that household chemicals are disposed of safely.
If chemicals are disposed of irresponsibly and in a way that could harm the environment or people, a fine could be issued to the person found responsible.
The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) NSW are working with local councils to provide drop off centres for old or leftover chemicals around the home. Weekend drop off centres are run throughout the Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra regions.
Materials that will be accepted include:
Paint and paint related products
Pesticides and herbicides
Solvents and household cleaners
Motor oils, fuels and fluids
Batteries
Gas bottles, fire extinguishers
Flares
Pool chemicals
Acids and alkalis
Hobby chemicals (eg. photography chemicals etc)
Please note that only household quantities of chemicals will be accepted. Always remember to transport your chemicals carefully so they don't leak or break.
For more information on how to transport chemicals or to find out about other locations across the Illawarra region, call the Clean Out Info Hotline 1300 787 870 or visit www.cleanout.com.au
OTHER
Chemsel of 12 Bushels Place Wetherill Park. Operates in Illawarra/Shoalhaven areas
Phone: 9604 7533
For collection and disposal of the following items:
Fluorescent tubes
PCB capacitors
HID lamps (mercury and sodium)
Solvents (paints and thinners)
Contact: Ian Parkes (Operations Manager)
Phone: 0409 938 553
Gardner Perrot of 162 Shellharbour Road Kemblawarra
Phone: 4275 2222
Contact: Tony Hickey, Steve Wellington
For collection and disposal of liquid and solid wastes.
Nationwide Oil Pty Ltd Cnr Davis Road and Wenban Place, Wetherill Park
Phone: 02 9604 2611
Fax: 02 9609 2219
Nationwide Oil is the market leader in the collection and refining of used engine oils. Their plant is designed to eliminate all the impurities from used oil, resulting in the production of a recycled product of a quality suitable to be sold as lubricating oil. Nationwide is pleased to offer the following additional services -collection and disposal of:
Oil filters
Oily rags
Oily water (including interceptor trap pump outs)
Grease
Coolants
Waste management audits
If your clothes are in a reasonable condition, please donate them to charity or in your local Lifeline bins. Charities that will accept old clothing include:
Saint Vincent de Paul
Location: 80 Terralong Street Kiama
Phone: 4232 2656
Salvation Army
Phone: 131 640
Anglicare
Phone: 132 622
CDs are made from polycarbonate and acrylic plastics along with a reflective layer of aluminium and generally come with a label. A complex mix to break apart and recycle. Old CD’s that are still useable can be donated to charity, given to friends, or sold.
If your CD’s are scratched and un-useable dispose of them in your garbage bin.
Do you have old or outdated computer equipment you would like to dispose of?
Dunmore Resource and Recovery Centre will accept old computers that are still able to work, or be stripped of working parts.
Phone: (02) 4237 5193
Location: Buckleys Road, Dunmore
Dell Recycling offers computer owners a variety of environmentally sound, convenient and affordable options for unwanted computers -- and the equipment does not have to be from Dell.
Dell Recycling accepts any make or model of computer, notebook, monitor, printer or peripheral device.
Dell will arrange to pick up the equipment at your home for a flat fee of $10 plus $15.50 if you are more than 40 km from your capital city* (credit card payments only).
*You can also take your PC to one of two drop off points in Sydney for $8.50 per unit.
Contact Dell Recycling on 1800 465 890 or email recycling_dell_au@dell.com
Did you know? There is a law which only allows cork to be harvested every nine years?
Cork is truly a renewable material. Every year an estimated 30 tonnes of corks are collected for recycling in Australia.
The voluntary organization, Guides Australia, collects and sorts used wine corks from hotels, restaurants, wineries, clubs, hospitals and individuals in all states and territories. The corks are collected and transported to a Melbourne based manufacturer of products made from recycled cork. The corks are granulated and turned into engine gaskets, cricket and hockey balls, industrial safety mats, boat decking and floors for horse floats.
Money raised by the sale of wine corks is used to fund the Guide’s outdoor activities and facilities. Since the 1990 start of the scheme, the Guides Australia recycling cork scheme has collected 75 million corks (250 tonnes).
To find out where your closest collection point is, or to organize a pick-up, contact the Guides Association on (02) 9698 3322.
Corks can also be taken to Wollongong Hospital for the Cancer Carers organisation for collection to raise money for cancer patients. Call Wollongong Hospital on phone: 4225 9423

For information on centres which will collect drums call Waste Services NSW on 1300 651 116 or visit the website www.wasteservice.nsw.gov.au or call South Coast Drum Traders Unanderra on phone: 4271 5708 for information of specific requirements with collection of drums.
See Asbestos/Fibro
The disposal of gas cylinders is quite dangerous and must be treated with caution.
Resource NSW coordinates with councils to provide drop-off centres for gas bottles/fire extinguishers/smoke alarms. To find out more visit www.resource.nsw.gov.au/cleanout or call the Clean Out Information Hotline: 1300 787 870.
Most glass items can be recycled.
To dispose of glass bottles or jars (such as a soft-drink bottle, wine or beer bottle, or condiments jar) place them in the yellow lidded recycling bins.
Be mindful that glass in certain formats cannot be recycled:
Broken windows
Windscreen glass
Drinking glasses
Oven-proof or heat-treated glass (eg. Corning Ware, Pyrex or Vision Ware)
Light globes
White opaque bottles
Laboratory and medical glass
When recycling, ensure you don’t include china, ceramics or stoneware with glass bottles and jars. It can lead to the rejection of thousands of bottles and jars collected for recycling.
To prepare glass for recycling, remove any lids or caps, and rinse all bottles and jars. To conserve water, wash bottles and jars in used dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables.
GARDEN ORGANICS
Grass clippings, leaves, small branches, flowers, untreated and unpainted wood, twigs and garden prunings will be collected fortnightly by your green waste collection service. Please place in your green lidded bin. Refer to your waste calendar for more details.

Tree stumps can be taken to:
Location: Buckleys Road, Dunmore
Phone: (02) 4237 5193
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
Many items you wish to dispose of can be reused by finding a good home with somebody else. Items such as books, clothing, shoes, kitchen items can be dropped at charity boxes. Larger items such as furniture will be collected by charity:
Saint Vincent de Paul
Location: 80 Terralong Street Kiama
Phone: 4232 2656
Salvation Army
Phone: 131 640
LIQUID WASTE
Bulky liquid waste is accepted at WSN Liquid Treatment plant, subject to sample analysis. For further information call Waste Services NSW on 1300 651 116 or visit the website www.wasteservice.nsw.gov.au or Collex Pty Ltd located at 29 Five Islands Road Port Kembla Phone: 4276 3660, Email: pylyp@collex.com.au for liquid waste collection.
If your mattress is in reasonable condition, contact a charity organisation to see if they want to collect it.
Mattresses can be taken to Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot located at Buckleys Road, Dunmore phone: 4237 7546
Return your old unwanted medicines to any pharmacy for free and safe disposal
or call 1300 650 835. Residents can drop off syringes and dialysis material for free to MOST pharmacies, where they are disposed of safely and correctly. Before delivering your syringes to the pharmacy, ensure they are in a proper plastic sharps container (available from either Diabetes Australia/MS Society or a needle and syringe exchange outlet), or are in a rigid plastic drink container with a screw top (milk bottle, coke bottle or juice bottle).
Every day, approximately 2,000 milk crates are taken out of the Dairy Farmers system – which equates to 60,000 a month, 720,000 a year or over 650 semi-trailer loads full!
Dairy Farmers is currently running a Milk Crate Recovery Program in NSW. The aim of the campaign is to return as many of their crates back into the system, limit the number of crates taken out for unauthorised use and reduce the number of crates Dairy Farmers is required to purchase in order to replace the ones that have been taken out.
If you have milk crates you wish to dispose of (or report where you have seen crates), call Dairy Farmers on 1800 883 534 or email milkcrates@dairyfarmers.com.au. Dairy Farmers will then arrange for the crates to be picked up.
Since 1999, over 260 tonnes of mobile phone handsets, batteries and accessories have been collected for recycling in Australia. Recycling mobile phones can produce nickel (used to produce stainless steel), cadmium (a component of new batteries), plastics and small amounts of gold and copper. The Australian Mobile Telephone Association is currently running a Mobile Phone Industry Recycling Program. They are collecting old mobile phones and their batteries at over 1600 phone retail outlets around Australia. Phones and batteries that are dropped off by the public will be melted down and recycled into new products.

Locations for disposal of old mobile phones include:
Battery World
Location: 250-254 Princes Highway, Albion Park Rail
Telstra Shop
Location: Shellharbour Square
Vodafone
Location: Shellharbour Square
Optus World
Location: Shellharbour Square
Mobile phones can also be dropped off at Kiama Municipal Council at our front counter to be sent off to Clean Up Australia in Postage paid mobile phone envelopes. Clean Up Australia receive up to $3 for every phone that is donated. Phones are resold in developing countries or recycled.
Disposable nappies CANNOT be recycled. They should be placed in the garbage bin. Every year millions of disposable nappies are sent to landfill, making a massive environmental impact.
Alternatives are nappy wash services or reusable cloth nappies. For further information on other options to disposable nappies such as cloth nappies visit, www.natureschild.com.au
See Medicines/Medical Waste/Sharps/Syringes.
MOTOR
Around 500 million litres of lubricating oil is sold in Australia each year. While some engines, such as two-stroke lawn mower engines burn oil completely, others like motor vehicle engines and machinery produce large volumes of used oil that can be reclaimed and reused. Industry and the community generate at least 250 million litres of used oil in Australia each year.
Disposing of used oil the wrong way has the potential to pollute land, water and infrastructure, so we need to recover and recycle as much of it as possible. Consider that it takes only one litre of oil to contaminate one million litres of water and a single automotive oil change produces 4 to 5 litres of used oil.
Used oil, or ‘sump oil’ as it is sometimes called, should not be thrown away. Although it gets dirty, used oil can be used as an industrial burner fuel or as hydraulic oil, or incorporated into other products, or refined back into new lubricating oil.
Minnamurra Recycling Depot provides free disposal of waste oils including, car and cooking oil.
Paint can be collected in the annual household chemical collection. To find out the dates of household chemical collections in your region visit: www.cleanout.com.au. Also view the latest information booklet.
Large quantities of paint can be taken to Cleanaway located at Lot 3 Berkeley Road Unanderra Phone: 4272 4166.
Empty and clean paint tins can be placed into your recycling bin.
The following items are recyclable and can be placed in your paper/cardboard recycling bin.
Drawings (on paper)
Computer cards
Invoices/forms
Manilla Folders
Envelopes
Computer printouts (no carbon)
Photocopy paper
Cardboard
Writing pads
Australians dump 4000 recyclable plastic bags into landfills every minute. It takes 36,850 tonnes of plastic to produce 6.9 billion plastic bags.
Plastic bags are accepted at most supermarkets for recycling. Be careful to check that plastic bags are accepted at the recycling bins, they usually only accept the supermarket style shopping bag (HDPE), not the heavier bags used by other retailers (LDPE). Ask the store about its policy on recycling and packaging.

If the container displays the mobius symbol this can be placed in your household recycling bin. To prepare take-away containers for recycling rinse all containers to remove as much food waste as possible. To conserve water, wash out in left over dishwasher or in a bucket with other recyclables.
Australians consume more than 1.3 million tones of plastic every year, more than 71 kg for every person. Manufacturing plastics from recycled materials uses 30% of the energy required to make plastic products from fossil fuels.
When recycling plastic objects, check the plastic identification stamp which manufacturers must place on all products. The code has a number inside a triangle and indicates exactly what types of plastics you can recycle. At Minnamurra Recycling Depot, codes 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 are accepted at no charge. Ensure these are placed in your household recycling bin or for large quantities, these can be disposed of at the Minnamurra Recycling Depot located at Buckleys Road, Dunmore phone: 4237 7546.
Polystyrene CANNOT be recycled through your yellow lidded recycling bin. It MUST BE placed in the red lidded garbage bin.
While injecting equipment is used by drug users, many people rely on using needles, lances or syringes to maintain their own health or that of a family member. Injecting equipment is also used by pet and livestock owners or vets. For health and safety reasons, the correct disposal of this waste type is obviously extremely important.
Your sharps must be secured in a strong puncture resistant container, such as an Australian Standard Sharps container.
Sharps must NOT be placed in your yellow lidded recycling bin or red lidded garbage bin.
Please dispose of your sharps at authorised collection points such as:
McInerney’s Soul Pattison Chemist
Location: 68 Terralong Street Kiama
Phone: 4232 1046
Soul Pattison Chemist will accept your sharps and also hand out sharps disposal units for home use. Call Soul Pattison Chemist for further information.
Gerringong Pharmacy
Location: 113 Fern Street Gerringong
Phone: 4234 13333
Needle Clean Up Hotline
Provides information about removing discarded needles and syringes from public places.
Freecall 1800 804 823
Steel cans that are accepted for recycling include food cans, coffee, oil, paint and aerosol cans, bottle tops and jam jar lids. (Remove any plastic caps).
What to do:
Remove the lid completely.
Rinse the can thoroughly.
Place the lids inside the can. (Place bottle tops and jam jar lids inside as well)
Press the can flat near the top of the can. (This saves space and prevents injury to those sorting).
Place the cans in your yellow lidded recycling bin.
To find out more, please visit: http://www.cansmart.org/
See Oil.

Timber is one of the most renewable and ‘earth friendly’ materials.
What to do:
When using timber, be sure to design using the appropriate size, grade and durability of timbers, using ‘engineered’ and resource efficient sections wherever possible.
Try to make use of all off-cuts. Where buildings are designed for ease of material recovery, then timbers can be easily reused.
Timbers can be re-milled and recycled to another use. Alternatively, it can be chipped for mulch (but beware of health hazards of lead based paints).
See Car Tyres

Minnamurra Recycling Depot will accept your whitegoods including: steel, aluminium, copper and brass, at no charge.
Minnamurra Recycling Depot
Location: Riverside Drive, Dunmore
Phone: (02) 4237 5148
Fax: (02) 4237 5149
Email: council@kiama.nsw.gov.au
Operating Hours: 8:00 am to 4:00pm 7 days excluding Christmas Day, New Years Day and Good Friday.
Last updated: Wednesday March 28, 2007
