Despite our best intentions to buy items for life and avoid packaging, sometimes we have things that need to be thrown out or recycled. But unfortunately only a few types of waste are welcome in our recycling bins. However, it is possible to recycle a lot more things if you know where to go. And the best bit – all the locations below all are right here on the Northern Beaches!
Polystyrene
Kimbriki is permitting the drop-off of expanded polystyrene (EPS) on selected dates. This is the rigid white packaging material that comes with appliances and furniture. What a great opportunity to properly dispose of a difficult to recycle material!
At the time of writing, the next drop off dates are Saturday 4 March and Sunday 16 April 2023.
For more details and to check on the next collection date, head to the Northern Beaches Council website.
Beer can clips
You know those plastic covers that hold a four-pack or six-pack of beer together? They are called beer can clips, and the good news is that Endeavour Group, which owns BWS and Dan Murphy’s, has rolled out a beer can clip reuse and recycling program.
Local independent breweries are able to pick up the beer clips and reuse them, making this scheme a hundred times better than a plain old recycling scheme. Think of all the energy that will be saved every time a beer clip is re-used (instead of manufacturing a new one from virgin materials and then processing it for recycling after one use)!
Once the beer can clips have been used many times and are at the end of their life, they can still be dropped off but will be recycled.
Drop off points are located at Selected BWS and Dan Murphy’s. Our Northern Beaches collection point is at Dan Murphy’s Manly Vale.
Blister packs
If you are regularly taking any sort of prescribed medication it is almost inevitable that you’ll collect a number of medicine blister packs. Blister packs are a mixture of foil and plastic and this makes them very difficult to recycle as the materials need to be separated first.
But don’t dismay because Terracycle have gone and figured out a way to do it, and Blooms the Chemist has partnered with them to create collection points.
Our collection point on the Northern Beaches is Blooms the Chemist, Forestville, which is located in the shopping centre on Starkey Street. Look out for the cardboard bin near the tills.
Wetsuits
Wetsuits are made of neoprene, a type of synthetic rubber. Terracycle, yet again tackling the difficult materials, has worked out how to recycle the stuff.
Rip Curl has partnered with Terracycle to provide drop off points for old and ripped wetsuits of all brands, which is very generous of them. On the Northern Beaches our drop off point is at 100 The Corso Manly.
The good news is that the wetsuits do not have to be perfectly clean, although they cannot accept wet ones! They also cannot accept booties, gloves and helmets at this stage.
Watch how Terracycle recycle wetsuits here:
Pens
You don’t need to send your pens to landfill anymore, because Officeworks has teamed up with Terracycle to collect them and send them for recycling.
It’s not just standard ballpoint pens either, here’s the full list:
- Pens
- Felt tip pens
- Highlighters
- Markers
- Mechanical pencils
- Correction tape
- Liquid paper
- Fountain pens and ink cartridges
Dee Why Officeworks is our drop-off location on the Northern Beaches and is located at 800 Pittwater Road.