Plastic Bottles and Containers

Plastic bottles and containers are made from natural resources such as crude oil, natural gas and coal. Most plastic is not biodegradable and will persist in the environment for hundreds of years.

If your workplace or business has large quantities of plastic bottles and containers to recycle, visit BusinessRecycling.com.au to find suitable collection or pick up service options.

Find out information about the container deposit scheme in your state.

Click here for more information about single-use plastics.

Confusion with recycling plastic containers

A triangle with a number (1 to 7) inside stamped on a plastic container or bottle is actually a Plastic Identification Code.

This code identifies the type of plastic the product is - not if it can be recycled.

People often confuse the Plastic Identification Code for the general recycling symbol (mobius loop), which involves three chasing arrows.

About Plastic Lids

Please check with your council for any specific local advice around recycling plastic lids. In general, we advise the following:

Ensure the plastic bottle is empty, and crush the bottle if possible. The lid may then be screwed lightly back onto the bottle and placed in the recycling bin
Most plastic lids and neck rings are not the same type of plastic as the container but they can be easily separated in many processing facilities.
Plastic lids on their own are too small for current recycling technology to sort so do not place them loose in the recycling bin.

Donate Plastic Lids

Envision is an organisation making prosthetic limbs out of plastic bottle tops. The tops should be numbered either 2 or 4 plastic types with no metals attached. Check here for collection points.