What goes in which bin at Christmas time?

Published on 20 December 2023

Christmas is a time for giving gifts to our loved ones, sharing a feast, and decorating the house and garden.

With that comes a lot of packaging and a little bit of waste. So how do you minimise the impact and care for the environment as well?

Horsham Rural City Council Waste Education Officer Viswatej Dadepogu has some handy tips.

"If the gift wrap is 100 per cent made of paper then it does go in the yellow recycling bin," he said. 

"If the wrapping paper has any non-paper adornments, such as glitter, a layer of foil, or other metallic decorations, then it cannot be recycled. The same goes for decorations like ribbons, baubles, and bows — they can be reused many times, but they can't be recycled.

If you’re not sure, it’s safer to put it in the general waste bin which has either a red or dark green lid. Small pieces of paper should go in the waste bin too.

“Toy packaging often has a plastic window to show the product inside. The cardboard can go in the recycling bin, but please separate the plastic window,” Mr Dadepogu said.

To mitigate smelly bins during the summer months, urban residents are now allowed to divert high odour food waste such as meat, fish, eggs and bones to the general waste if it is due to be emptied before the food and organics bin.

The change was a result of listening to the community feedback that was gathered through October’s Kerbside Waste Services Review.

“If you’re worried about the smell, you can also keep food waste in the fridge or freezer and put it in the bin when you put it out for collection,” Mr Dadepogu said.

Be aware that, with some people away during the holiday period, collections may run at an earlier time than usual.

Remember, if your recycling bin is overfull, you can take it to a transfer station and empty it for free.

All transfer stations and the Dooen Landfill will operate as normal apart from December 25 when they will close for Christmas Day.