Living plastic free
Simple actions you can take now
- Carry your own reusable bottle and cup
- Keep a fold up shopping bag with you
- Say no to disposable straws and cutlery
- Store food in glass containers.
Plastic Free July action picker(PDF, 86KB).
What can you recycle in Ku-ring-gai?
NSW Plastics Ban 2022
From 1 June, single-use plastic bags and then from 1 November other single-use plastic items such as straws, cutlery, plates and bowls, as well as polystyrene, will be banned across NSW businesses.
Reduce
Single-use plastics
Council’s Sustainable Event Management Policy(PDF, 317KB) and Single-use Plastic Policy(PDF, 289KB) supports our staff, residents and local event managers to find new alternatives for these items.
DIY and lifestyle changes
Visit our Lifestyle page to discover a range of resources on natural cleaning, beauty products and DIY projects.
Bulk food stores
Take your own container or use paper bags supplied to purchase a range of pantry staples at bulk food stores in St Ives, Warringah Mall, Chatswood, Cammeray, Crows Nest, Lane Cove, Rhodes and Willoughby.
Plastic in our parks and open spaces
The use of plastic confetti or similar products is prohibited in our parks and open spaces. Check out this video for a DIY natural confetti alternative.
Reuse
Furniture and goods
Bower’s Collection and Rehoming Service takes unwanted goods and recycles or turns them into reusable items. A free collection service is available.
For anything the Bower can't accept The Bower Reuse Tool provides options for reuse organisations, repair or disposal options.
Free reusable bags
Look out for Boomerang Bags at your local supermarket or farmers market. Volunteer sewers make freely available bags out of recycled materials.
Repair
The Repair Cafe is a local initiative where you can take broken items for volunteers to repair. Sydney North Branch meets1st and 2nd Sundays of each month.
Recycle
Visit Waste and Recycling for everything about recycling in Ku-ring-gai.
Ku-ring-gai bins
'What goes in your recycling bins' is a great breakdown of exactly what can go into your recycling bins in Kur-ring-gai. Every Council is slightly different.
Additional Recycling lists the more unusual items like bikes, globes, mattresses and more...
Plastics
- Rigid, hard plastic from the kitchen, laundry or bathroom (eg. shampoo, detergent bottles, meat trays), pop it in the yellow bin.
- If it's scrunchable, soft plastic, it goes with your plastic shopping bags to be dropped at the supermarket.
- Toys need to go to the charity store.
Soft plastics
Did you know bread and nappy bags, pasta and chip packets, zip lock bags, frozen food and biscuit wrappers can be recycled as soft plastics!
Redcycle will tell you more and where to find your nearest supermarket for recycling. Lindfield, Turramurra, Chatswood and Hornsby supermarkets now offer specialty soft plastic recycling.
E-waste
The National Television and Recycling Scheme provides multiple locations for you to recycle TV's, computer, printers, electric cables and more.
Tech Collect are a not-for-profit organisation managing e-waste for a range of leading technology manufacturers and importers.
Microbeads
Microbeads are tiny plastic particles that are added to personal care products. They are commonly used to scrub the skin or clean your teeth but once washed down the drain can be harmful to our rivers and waterways. Beat the Microbeads is an organisation trying to increase awareness of what we are purchasing.
Saving our waterways
The Take3 initiative is spreading the plastic-free message and it's impact on our oceans and waterways.
Stay in touch
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