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The Body Corporate and members of our community have been working with Brisbane City Council and Containers for Change to set up a Recycling Initiative for McWhirters.

We now have the option of recycling from each individual level waste room, as well as having the opportunity to collect and recycle bottles, cans and containers through dedicated cash for containers Containers for Change bin on each floor. You will also be provided with a Containers for Change bin for your apartment.

It is estimated that McWhirters Apartments will generate approx. $12,000 per year from the Containers for Change collection system which we can nominate to a charity of our choice or use to continue to fund our recycling program.

This initiative is part of a pilot program that is being monitored by Council and will inform the rollout of recycling initiatives to other buildings like ours in a bid to improve recycling and waste management across Brisbane.

How it works

Containers for Change

Place eligible bottles and containers in the green Containers for Change bin.

If you’re not sure whether an item is eligible, check for the 10¢ refund symbol on the packaging – if the symbol is present, the item is eligible. Click the button below to find out more about how this scheme works.

From November 1, 2023, glass wine and spirit bottles are also eligible for recycling under this scheme.

All other recycling

Place all other recycling in the yellow bin. Flattening cardboard boxes will help save space.

Items smaller than a golf ball usually get filtered out at the recycling centre, so if you have smaller items to recycle, try and bunch them together. For example, hang onto your aluminium foil until you have enough to scrunch together in a sizable ball.

Be sure to flatten plastic bottles (such as milk bottles) and replace their lids. If you don’t flatten the bottle, the lid will pop off when the bottle goes through the rollers and will get sent to landfill.

What can be recycled?

  • paper (except baking paper)
  • cardboard (most carboard food packaging except for wax-coated cardboard like coffee cups
  • firm flexible plastic (e.g. soft drink containers, margarine containers, milk and juice bottles, biscuit and sushi trays)
  • aluminium and steel packaging (e.g. aerosol cans, empty paint tins, pet food cans, tin foil)
  • glass used for packaging (e.g. jam jars, food jars, sauce bottles, beverage bottles, vitamin bottles)
  • anything with an Australian Recycling Label (ARL)

What CANNOT be recycled?

  • batteries
  • clothes
  • disposable nappies
  • e-waste (electronics of all kinds)
  • food waste
  • Garden waste
  • plastic bags
  • wood products

Other Local Recycling

Rehome Locally

Reuse and upcycle

Ask around in the building Facebook group if you have any items that need a new home.

Bedlinen and Towels

The Sheridan outlets at Homemaker City and DFO Brisbane accept old bedlinen (including quilt covers, pillow cases and sheets) and towels of any brand for recycling at no cost. In fact, returning these items to the Sheridan boutiques at Chermside, Carindale and Mt Gravatt will earn you a 5% discount on a new same-day purchase.

Find out more at Sheridan

Footwear

TreadLightly is a national recycling initiative that takes unwanted sport and active lifestyle footwear and responsibly recycles it to give it new life.

Find out more at TreadLightly

E-Waste

aka Electronic Waste

The Officeworks City, Windsor and Milton outlets accept:

  • E-waste (e.g. Computers and laptops, monitors, keyboards, printers, cables and chargers)
  • Printer cartridges and ink cartridges
  • Mobile phones
  • Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, laptop batteries, mobile phone batteries)
  • Pens and markers
  • Data storage (e.g. USBs, hard drives, CDs or DVDs and their cases)
Find out more at Officeworks

Batteries

ALDI at Homemaker city has a battery bin that accepts household batteries (e.g. AA, AAA, D and button batteries). Other batteries can be recycled at no cost by BatteryWorld at 38 Hudson Road, Albion.

Here’s what to look for

Resource Recovery Centres

Previously known as transfer stations

Recyclables can be dropped off for free, and you can use waste vouchers or pay a fee for the disposal of general and green waste. Waste vouchers or fees apply to dispose of general waste at a resource recovery centre. If you don’t have any vouchers, ask around on the building Facebook group and someone is likely to have a few you can use.

Centres are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Find out more at Brisbane City Council

Council Treasure Troves

Formerly known as Brisbane tip shops

For all household furniture, homewares, collectables, books, hardware items or sporting equipment. Donate your quality second-hand items and prevent them from ending up in landfill.

Conveniently open every weekend from 8am-4pm each day (excluding Easter Sunday, as well as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day when these days fall on a weekend).

Find out more at Brisbane City Council

Add Your Ideas

Have an idea to make recycling and waste management better in our building? Have a handy hint about where something can be recycled? Let us know!