A-Z Guide to Waste and Recycling

Household quantities of these items can be safely disposed of during the annual Household Chemical CleanOut collection event. Find out more and the next collection date at https://begavalley.nsw.gov.au/services/household-chemical-cleanout

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.

EMPTY aerosol cans can be placed in your yellow-lid recycling bin. All other aerosol cans including paint and automotive aerosols as well as household aerosols can be disposed of for free at the Community Recycling Centre at Merimbula Waste and Recycling Centre.

Do not place non-empty aerosols in the red-lid landfill bin, as they may be a safety risk (explosive and flammable) when compressed in collection trucks, processed though sorting machinery and at our landfill site.

• Don’t bag your recycling! Place it loose in your yellow-lid recycling bin instead. Recycling in plastic bags cannot be recycled and will end up in landfill.
• Make sure food packaging, bottles and jars are empty before recycling them. No need to wash.
• Our recycling is transported from the Bega Valley to a Material Recovery Facility, where it is separated into streams for recycling into new products. Watch the video to see how a MRF works

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.

Recycle your clean, residue-free, eligible agricultural drums to Bemboka, Bermagui and Merimbula Waste and Recycling Centres and the Bega Saleyards for free recycling via the drumMUSTER program.

drumMUSTER is a national product stewardship program that focuses on the collection and recycling of eligible, empty, and clean agricultural and veterinary (AgVet) chemical containers. 

Check the opening hours of Waste and Recycling Centres before visiting.

The Bega Saleyard collection site is open only on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, between 12:30pm and 4pm, in the old calf shed.

To learn how to prepare your drums for recycling, visit Drum preparation — Agsafe. Only clean, eligible drums will be accepted for recycling.

For more information, please visit drumMUSTER program overview | Recycling AgVet chemical containers — Agsafe

bagMUSTER

Responsibly dispose of agricultural plastic bags commonly used for fertilisers, seeds, grain, stock feed and pet food. 

What's accepted:

• Single-use PP agricultural plastic bags - look for woven texture or the PP5 icon on the bag
• 25kg - over 1200kg bulk bags

Location:

Bega Valley Saleyards - old calf shed
169 Kerrisons Lane, Bega

Opening times:

Open every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 12:30pm – 4:00pm.
For loads larger than a ute or trailer load, please make an appointment with Michael Boag on 0427 552 121.

How to prepare your bags:

• Empty all contents and shake to remove residue
• Remove any non-PP liners, labels and components
• Fold or roll for easy transport and handling
• Drop eligible bags at the bagMUSTER site during operating hours.

For more information visit Home | bagMUSTER

Aluminium cans and packaging can be put in your yellow-lid recycling bin or taken to any Waste and Recycling Centre for free (for loads under 1m3). No need to rinse.

Some aluminium cans can also be redeemed using the NSW Container Deposit Scheme, Return and Earn for a 10c refund - find your closest Return and Earn Reverse Vending Machine here https://begavalley.nsw.gov.au/services/container-deposit-scheme

Aluminium foil can be recycled in your yellow-lid recycling bin or taken to any Waste and Recycling Centre for free (loads up to 1m3 only). Scrunch aluminium into a tennis-ball size or larger to make sure it doesn't get lost in the sorting process. You do not need to clean your foil before recycling it.

Foil from hairdressers can also be recycled, no need to rinse or remove product first.  Coloured foil from easter eggs and similar is also recyclable.

Please note that some 'foil like' products such as chip packs and medicine blister packs contain plastic and/or other mixed materials and cannot go into your yellow-lid bin. They must be disposed of into your red-lid landfill bin.

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.

• Don’t bag your recycling! Place it loose in your yellow-lid recycling bin instead. Recycling in plastic bags cannot be recycled and will end up in landfill.
• Make sure food packaging, bottles and jars are empty before recycling them. No need to wash.
• Our recycling is transported from the Bega Valley to a Material Recovery Facility, where it is separated into streams for recycling into new products. Watch the video to see how a MRF works

Large animal carcasses are only accepted by pre-arrangement at theCentral Waste Facility, Wolumla. Contact Council 02 6499 2222to arrange disposal.

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.

Animal droppings and waste including cat poo, kitty litter and dog poo must be disposed of in yourred-lid landfill bin. It cannot be placed in your green-lid FOGO bin.

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.

Large appliances, including fridges, freezers, air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, ovens, dishwashers etc can be taken to any Waste and Recycling Centre for disposal.

Fridges, freezers and air conditioners contain gas that needs to be properly captured prior to disposal (fees apply). Other non-gassed appliances made primarily from metal can be disposed of as scrap metal for free (at staff discretion).

Broken appliances may be able to be repaired and sold or donated - contact the Bega Valley Repair Cafe to see if your appliance can be saved from landfill. For working machines, sell or giveaway online on GumTree or Facebook Marketplace.

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.

Appliances can be taken to any Waste and Recycling Centre for disposal. Appliances made primarily of metal can be accepted for scrap metal for free (at staff discretion - excludes fridges, freezers and air conditioners requiring de-gassing).

Electronic appliances can be recycled as E-Waste (for a small fee) or disposed of as landfill (for a fee).

Broken appliances may be able to be repaired and sold or donated - contact the Bega Valley Repair Cafe to see if your appliance can be saved from landfill. 

• Information about Waste and Recycling Centres, including opening hours, locations and fees and charges can be found on our Waste and Recycling Centres web page
• Need to up or downsize your current bins or add an extra one? Find out how to do that on our Change the size or number of your bins web page.
• For items not listed, visit Recycling Near You or call Council on 02 6499 2222.