New additions arrive at Council's problem waste recycling stations

Waverley’s two problem waste recycling stations have expanded to accept x-rays, light globes and oral care products in addition to batteries, mobile phones and printer cartridges.

Since 2018, our problem waste recycling stations, located at Waverley Library and the Customer Service Centre, have provided residents with a free and convenient way to recycle materials that shouldn’t be placed in kerbside waste or recycling bins. Expanding our problem waste recycling station offers will help Council work towards its target of achieving a 90% resource recovery rate for residential and commercial waste by 2029.

The problem waste recycling stations are located at Waverley and the Customer Service Centre (pictured above).

Many problem waste items contain valuable materials that can be recovered and reused in new products, reducing our reliance on creating new materials and supporting a circular economy In addition, problem wastes can leach hazardous materials if sent to landfill.

What happens to the materials we collect?

• Household batteries are separated into components and reused to make new batteries and metal products, with a recovery rate of over 95%
• Films from x-ray, MRI and CT scans contain silver, which can be chemically separated from the plastic film and recovered. The plastic portion of the film can be recycled into shampoo bottles.
• Light globes and fluorescent tubes are safely separated into glass, aluminium and mercury streams and recycled for use in new products, including new light globes.
• Mobile phones contain rare earth metals, including gold and silver, which can be recycled and used in new phones rather than having to mine these resources. The material recovery rate for mobiles is over 98.8%
• Printer cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastic, metal, foam, ink and toner. Recovery of materials from cartridges is 97.5% when recycled.
• Oral care items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes are shredded and melted into hard plastic that can be remoulded into new products.

Where are the stations located?

Problem waste recycling stations are accessible during opening hours at the following locations:

• Waverley Library, located at 32-48 Denison Street, Bondi Junction. View opening hours here.
• Customer Service Centre, located at 55 Spring Street, Bondi Junction. View opening hours here.

Find out more about our Problem Waste Recycling Stations here.