Free recycling stations around Sydney

A free service for bulb, battery and mobile phone recycling is now available across Sydney, with 10 recycling stations accessible at community centres and libraries around the city. The service operates year-round, meaning residents can dispose of their waste at any time instead of waiting for the city’s quarterly e-waste and chemical drop-off days.

It is hoped that the stations will increase recycling rates, with Lord Mayor Clover Moore noting, “Batteries, light bulbs and mobile phones don’t belong in our household bins … [as] many of the materials from these products can be made into new products, sparing them from landfill which can damage the environment.”

Every week about one million light bulbs containing mercury are sent to landfill in Australia, despite the fact that 95% of a light globe can be recycled for glass, metals, phosphor powder and mercury. Meanwhile, around 16,000 tonnes of batteries are thrown away annually, around one tonne of which is recovered by the City of Sydney through e-waste and chemical clean-up days.

Nominated sites for the stations include Surry Hills, Customs House, Newtown, Waterloo, Ultimo, Haymarket, Town Hall House, Redfern, Glebe and Kings Cross. The Lord Mayor said she hopes ‘take-back’ options will be available from manufacturers in the future, allowing residents to return used items for recycling.

For more information, visit www.zerowaste.org.au.