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TerraCycle® is a social enterprise Eliminating the Idea of Waste ®. In 21 countries, we tackle the issue from many angles. We have found that nearly everything we touch can be recycled and collect typically non-recyclable items through national, first-of-their-kind recycling platforms.

Leading companies work with us to take hard-to-recycle materials from our programs, such as ocean plastic, and turn them into new products, and our new Loop platform aims to change the way the world shops with favorite brands in refillable packaging offered with convenience and style.

With your help, we've diverted millions of pounds of valuable resources from landfills all over the world, and we're just getting started.

#RecycleEverything using the search bar above and tell us what you want to recycle.

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TerraCycle is an innovative recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials. They offer a range of free programs, as well as recycling solutions available for purchase for almost every form of waste. Eliminate the idea of waste

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Stop Plastic Pollution | Take 3 For The Sea

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Through education that inspires participation, Take 3 is building a global movement of people to be the plastic pollution solution

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UPPAREL | Leading the change and stepping up for the next generation.

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We're proof that you can look good, feel good and do good. We provide premium socks & underwear, for a one off purchase or monthly subscription AND give you the chance to save your old textiles from landfill.

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The West Australian: Loop Upcycling targets Australia’s textile waste through circular economy - Loop Upcycling

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In a world of fast fashion, Australia’s first upcycling company say they would “love to have zero waste” as they continue to build a circular economy for textiles in the country. Perth-based entrepreneur Dwayne Rowland founded Loop Upcycling in 2017 with a goal to minimise corporate textile waste while providing employment opportunities for people living […]

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Your one-stop-shop for eco art and STEM supplies - early years learning to Yr 12. We ship Australia wide. Choose from over 20 themes and multiple size options.

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Craig Reucassel returns for a 2nd series of the landmark series that sparked action across the nation. Craig targets plastic water bottles, straws, e-waste, fast furniture, food waste and the recycling crisis. #WarOnWasteAU

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Understanding 'Best-Before' & 'Use by'

Three quarters of Australians admit to binning food due to expiration and spoiling. There's a big difference between "best before" and "use-by" dates. Best Before dates are a guide for when the food is not of the best quality anymore. This could mean that it has lost some nutritional value, but the food is still safe to eat. If something's hit it's Best Before date, use your senses to make sure it still smell, looks and tastes fine. If it's bad, you'll probably know immediately.

Use By dates on the other hand, are indicators of food safety. Meaning food past this date are not safe to eat and best discarded. Even if they still look, smell and taste alright, it's best not to tempt fate. However, it's possible to keep products for longer if frozen before their Use By dates.

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Understanding 'Best-Before' & 'Use by' Three quarters of Australians admit to binning food due to expiration and spoiling. There's a big difference between "best before" and "use-by" dates. Best Before dates are a guide for when the food is not of the best quality anymore.

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The Australian Fashion Council has led a consortium to create a national stewardship scheme called Seamless. Seamless launched in June 2023 and recognises that the fashion and clothing brands who place clothes on the market are responsible for the entire life of that garment, from design through to recycling or sustainable disposal.

Conceptualised with a pathway to achieve circularity by 2030 and aiming to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that goes to landfill each year, Seamless will improve the design, recovery, reuse, and recycling of clothing by transforming outdated business models, driving innovation, changing citizen behaviour and recycling clothing in high value applications.

Signing up is voluntary and imposes a 4 cent per garment levy on the signatories' sales, with the money to be put towards initiatives such as sustainable design, the resale of used items, and textile recycling.

Of 30 major Australian brands approached to be founding members, only six signed up: retailers BIG W, David Jones, and The Iconic, as well as Australian labels Lorna Jane, Rip Curl, and R.M. Williams. Each organisation has committed $100,000 to fund a 12-month transition phase while the scheme is established over the course of the decade.

However Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has told the rest of the fashion industry it had 12 months to sign up or else face regulation directly.

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How can we reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that goes to landfill each year? Learn about the environmental impacts of fast fashion and how to build a more sustainable wardrobe.

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Have a heap of old Plastic Plant pots I reuse when I can but often see them thrown out in hard rubbish. Can these be recycled via Bunnings in some way? Environmentaly friendly and a way to get customers back in the nursery? Just a thought while doing the annual planting.

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Recycling at Officeworks | Pen, Cartridge & Ink cartridges

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Since 2015, we have collected more than 11,000 tonnes through our Bring it Back program and our tech trade in program. By keeping products and materials in use for longer through repair, reuse, and recycling, we can make a positive impact on the environment and transition to a more circular economy.

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Community Recycling Centres - North East Waste

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Early childhood educators have always been masters of reusing and repurposing materials - it's how we make ends meet with tight budgets. Upcycling takes this thrifty and sustainable trend a step further, boosted by the rise of 'Loose Parts Play'.

The term 'upcycling' was first used in 2002 and the most succinct definition is 'the reuse of objects or materials to create a product of higher value or quality than the original.' So the idea is that you're going a step further than re-use and actually re-imagining or transforming the original material into something even better.

Amplify discovers inspiring examples of early childhood services embracing upcycling in creative ways.

How to get started with upcycling

The first thing KU sustainability manager Deb Watson advises is, "Start reducing what you think you need, repurpose (old packaging, jars, containers), multi-use materials. For example, when looking for 'loose materials' for play, you can invite parents to bring in materials - tiles leftover from home renovation can be used to decorate into coasters or plaques, or be broken up to make mosaics.

In Deb's view, the key to success is having a creative mindset.
Ask yourself: What if we used this to make one of these, I wonder what this could be? This type of creativity is the very disposition we want to encourage in our children, it's about exploring what is possible with what we already have.
Donated milk bottles become hanging gardens

KU Petersham preschool director, Kathy Lawton, says their upcycling journey started by noticing all the plastic packaging children had in their lunch boxes. "We talked about how we could minimise the plastic, we counted items we could reuse and which we would need to discard.

The staff were keen to revamp their outdoor area, in keeping with sustainability principles and on a tight budget.

"This coincided with media stories about recycled waste being rejected by China, so we had lots of images of huge pallets of waste hanging in the air with cranes with nobody wanting them. We started making links between what was happening in the world, and what was happening in Petersham. And how important it was for us to minimise our plastic."

In discussing with staff how they could reduce plastic going to landfill in their centre, one KU staff member said they had seen an idea on Pinterest about upcycling plastic milk bottles, one of the ideas was a hanging garden. Parents responded so enthusiastically to the call out for plastic bottles that they were inundated - and incorporated excursions to the local 'Return & Earn' container collection centre.

"We worked out our own design for cutting the milk bottles into a container so that a plant would grow," says director Kathy Lawton. "It's actually fairly shallow, so we had to think about what could grow that would survive, and where to hang them so they would get enough sun - we decided succulents were ideal."

At KU Chester Hill they use 2-litre milk bottles as watering cans - simply perforate the caps to make holes (they're the perfect size for young children). They turn old jars into vases and Pringles chip containers into paintbrush holders.

"We had an old pallet leftover from something that was delivered," said centre director Jennifer O'Dowd. "The children used it as a stage, as a seating area for reading, or a puzzle area. This prompted us to explore with the children what else we could do with pallets. We discovered that when you stand a pallet up, it can hold things - so we use one pallet now as a broom holder."

Unwanted items create endless possibilities

Jennifer enlisted her husband and with their ute, they scoured the local industrial area for more 'as new' hardwood pallets (they last longer than the pine ones).

"We also looked up online about how else to use pallets, and we saw them being used as a bookshelf. The children related to that and asked if we could make one. One staff member stayed back after hours and cut a pallet into quarters with a hand saw. They nailed a piece of timber on the bottom to hold the books in place, then drilled it onto a wall outside. It makes a display so you can see the front covers of the books."

KU Chesterhill staff also asked nearby shops to donate excess milk crates and turned them into seating - by adding padding of leftover astroturf. The children also use them to hold things and to stack on each other.

"When we were out collecting pallets one day I saw a wooden empty cable roll, which looked full of possibilities. I took it back and just put it in the yard to see what the children would make of it," explains Jennifer.

"They put it on its side and asked for help to roll it along, they tried putting it in the sandpit, they laid it flat and used it as a table - which it's ideal for."

In Canberra Forrest Out of School Hours Care (FOOSHC) has taken loose parts to play a notch further and in collaboration with their local resource recovery centre have created an outdoor loose parts play area with a difference. The children are trained by staff to use a range of tools safely and they collaborate in groups to make cubbies, forts and whatever they like.

The opportunities for creativity are endless when it comes to upcycling

"Once a fortnight we pick up used materials - ranging from old doors, tyres, ladders, air conditioning tubing, old trampoline mats etc," says FOOSHC director Ali Sewter. " Our arrangement is we will return any items when we are finished with them. We also ask families and the school to donate any large recyclable items to contribute."

More than just a trend

Brendan Hyndman from Charles Sturt University wrote about this trend to use loose, recycled or scrap parts in play in The Conversation, describing it as children using, 'movable equipment to work cooperatively in different team roles to design, plan, construct, observe, negotiate and learn from each other to discover new ideas to solve problems.'

Hyndman found evidence for the benefits of this kind of play in primary schools:

"Australian research has found the introduction of everyday equipment into outdoor school spaces has resulted in significant increases in primary school students' physical activity intensity during active play, step counts, types (and complexity) of play, physical quality of life, and enjoyment ..."

Upcycling is a new trend very much in keeping with the ethos and principles of best practice early childhood education. It fosters creativity, collaboration and problem-solving while also saving money and reducing waste - be inspired to upcycle.

Further inspiration

Resource centres in your state

NSW

Reverse Garbage - Marrickville

Loose Parts Play info and workshop
Early Learning groups workshops
ACT

Recycling Discovery Hub - Hume

Scroll down for early childhood resources

Victoria
Green Collect Urban Upcycle - Grovedale
Both Run Kindergarten incursions - Green Collect includes an 'upcycling' challenge for children to creatively explore ways to make new items from old.

QLD

Reverse Garbage Queensland - Wooloongabba

Run Loose Parts Playgroup and Workshops for educators

WA

Remida Re-use Centre, Leederville, Perth
STEAM Creative Workshops
SA

It's Not Garbage - creative play resources Camden Park

About CELA

Community Early Learning Australia is a not for profit organisation with a focus on amplifying the value of early learning for every child across Australia - representing our members and uniting our sector as a force for quality education and care.

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Early childhood educators have always been masters of reusing and repurposing materials - it's how we make ends meet with tight budgets. Upcycling takes this thrifty and sustainable trend a step further, boosted by the rise of 'Loose Parts Play'.

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Recycle Right | Keep it Simple, Keep it Clean, Keep it Coming ’Round

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BRAD Pre-Paid Office and Community Mega Box Up to 15kg | Banish

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Welcome to BRAD (Banish Recycling and Disposal), one of Australia’s leading recycling programs for hard-to-recycle items. Did you know that only 9% of plastic ever made has been recycled? BRAD is here to change that by providing an easy and efficient recycling solution for those traditionally “unrecyclable items”. Desi

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DIY Handmade Recycled Paper - Woodlark Blog

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Making your own paper is a great way to recycle any scrap paper that you have and is a fun project for the entire family. We love using our homemade paper for drawings, notes and homemade cards. You can use any paper that is recyclable, such as paper grocery bags, newspaper, paper from worksheets and

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worth of good food is thrown away in NSW each year

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Did you know that about half of all waste produced by Australian households is made up of food scraps, garden waste and other organic matter, all of which can be recycled back into high quality compost just by using our green bins?

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Another great way of recycling your food and garden waste at home is by home composting. Councils and hardware stores sell compost bins and worm farms. They are quite easy to manage, and a great activity to involve the whole family. Most of the same rules apply to home composting as to recycling with your green bin. However, we do advise not to place meat or seafood or citrus into a home compost or worm form.

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Pleasant State are revolutionising the way Australian’s clean their homes! Their Australian made concentrated bars dissolve in water to create effective, non-toxic and plastic-free multi-purpose, bathroom and glass cleaning products!

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Garden weeds can be a nuisance. You spend a lot of time beautifying your yard to have a perfect lawn then out of nowhere, weeds can just magically appear.

Before you know it, they could easily take over your yard if you don't do something about them. While some people think that it's quite easy to manage pesky weeds using a chemical weed killer, they may not always be the best option available.

Many commercial herbicides and weed killers contain chemicals that are harmful to our health. A good alternative is to prepare your own natural weed killers.

We have listed some of our top favourite tested natural homemade weed killers worth trying:

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7 Effective Homemade Natural Weed Killer - BTO Guide

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You spend a lot of time beautifying your yard to have a perfect lawn then out of nowhere, weeds can just magically appear. Before you know it, they could easily take over your yard if you don't do something about them.

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Home-made Remedies - Gardening Australia

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Colin Campbell gives instructions on how to make some popular home-made garden remedies

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These War On Waste teaching resources are designed to lead primary and secondary students through a deeper understanding of some of the big issues relating to waste in Australia and to support them in taking action to reduce the impact of waste on our environment.

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What you can do to avoid, reduce and recycle clothing waste

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Planet Ark is busting those myths so that you can reduce waste and trust that you are recycling right. Here are our Top 7!

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Information on charities, reuse centres, community recycling programs and groups, and other forums for trading, exchanging or donating items.

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Lots of fun ways to reuse products and packaging at home, to help us avoid, reduce and reuse.

Australians are great at recycling packaging at home like aluminium cans, bottles, jars and newspapers, which helps keep down the amount we send to landfill. By reusing packaging and other items, we can reduce our waste even further, as well as saving money and resources by avoiding buying something new.

Below are some of the many fun and easy ways we can reuse and recycle at home. For more info, lessons plans and fun recycling activities for home or work, visit National Recycling Week.

1. Old CDs make funky coasters! Just stick two together and paste felt underneath if necessary.

2. Melt the remains of a lipstick together with a small pot of lip balm - makes a great lip gloss!

3. Make a tin can telephone. Take off the lids and then tie two coffee tins together with a long piece of string for the desired effect - kids love it!

4. Create ice blocks for your esky - fill up old milk cartons with water and freeze them.

5. Want to keep the kids amused? Empty roll-on deodorant bottles can be used as paint pens for small children. Wash the plastic ball and bottle, then fill with paint and replace the ball and lid. When storing, keep it upside down with the lid on tightly.

6. Get yourself a worm farm and feed it all of your food scraps. One kilogram of worms can eat and recycle one kilogram of food every day, giving you nutritious worm castings for your plants and vegies.

7. Put your steel bottle tops and jam jar lids into an old steel can. When the tin is half full, squash the top together so the contents are held in - then put it in your recycling bin.

8. Open up the bottom of a used milk carton and plant a tree seedling inside it. The carton will protect your seedling from weather and pests, and when planted it will degrade as the tree grows.

9. Going on a picnic? Squash your cans and bottles and bring them home to recycle!

10. Save your corks in a jar on the window ledge. They can be used as a stamp when painting, or you could even make your own cork noticeboard by gluing them to a plank or corflute!

11. Clear plastic lids can be placed under oil jars in the cupboard or aerosols in the bathroom to prevent oil or rust marks on your shelves.

12. Make your own gift wrap! Wrap your presents in the comic pages from your local Sunday newspaper, magazines or comics. Kids (and even adults) love it!

13. Why not store your food scraps temporarily in an old ice cream container, before you put them onto your worm farm or compost?

14. Pour old cooking oil and fat into a used milk carton or jar and put it out in the rubbish. It clogs the drains if put down the sink. Newspaper can also be used to wipe out oily pots.

15. Old wet-wipe containers make great string dispensers - try it out!

16. Collect branches from the garden to make a Christmas tree. Have a fun time arranging them in a vase or pot and then hang on the decorations!

17. Get creative making Christmas and birthday cards from old cards, postcards, photos, stamps, pretty paper and more. Your family and friends will love the handmade greetings! For more recycling ideas with cards, check out our Holiday Hacks

18. Keep old jeans to use as patches for other jeans.

19. Save old lip balm pots and small toiletry containers. Refill these from your large bottles to make travelling packs.

20. Placing bottle top or jar lids under your chairs or sofa is a great way to protect your carpet.

21. Has your pillow gone flat? Then why not fold it over and put it inside a new cushion cover?

22. Got some old clothes or furniture that you don't want anymore? There are plenty of charity shops that do want them, so why not donate your unwanted items to your local op shop? Search RecyclingNearYou.com.au to find your local shop, and give them a call to check.

23. Save bread bags and other food or newspaper bags to take as doggie-doo bags when walking the dog.

24. Use newspaper to line the kitchen bin. Give the bin a quick rinse when needed, pouring it out on the garden.

25. Glass jars or take-away containers make great storage containers for cake decorations, leaf teas, buttons and many other things!

For other recycling info and activities including lesson plans and a guide to hosting a swap party, visit National Recycling Week.

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Lots of fun ways to reuse products and packaging at home, to help us avoid, reduce and reuse. Australians are great at recycling packaging at home like aluminium cans, bottles, jars and newspapers, which helps keep down the amount we send to landfill.

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The list below aims to educate consumers, businesses, councils and schools about the many wide-ranging products made from recycled materials. Buying it back means you're saving the resources and energy that go into making products from virgin materials, which reduces the need for mining, conserves raw materials and reduces waste going to landfill. We recommend buying a replacement product for an item that would normally be purchased anyway so that we're not contributing to consumption and waste. Remember, unless you're buying recycled, you're not really recycling!

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The list below aims to educate consumers, businesses, councils and schools about the many wide-ranging products made from recycled materials. Buying it back means you're saving the resources and energy that go into making products from virgin materials, which reduces the need for mining, conserves raw materials and reduces waste going to landfill.

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Creating a Clean Up is a great way to make a difference for our environment.

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The Australian Fashion Council has led a consortium to create a national stewardship scheme called Seamless. Seamless launched in June 2023 and recognises that the fashion and clothing brands who place clothes on the market are responsible for the entire life of that garment, from design through to recycling or sustainable disposal.

Conceptualised with a pathway to achieve circularity by 2030 and aiming to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that goes to landfill each year, Seamless will improve the design, recovery, reuse, and recycling of clothing by transforming outdated business models, driving innovation, changing citizen behaviour and recycling clothing in high value applications.

Signing up is voluntary and imposes a 4 cent per garment levy on the signatories' sales, with the money to be put towards initiatives such as sustainable design, the resale of used items, and textile recycling.

Of 30 major Australian brands approached to be founding members, only six signed up: retailers BIG W, David Jones, and The Iconic, as well as Australian labels Lorna Jane, Rip Curl, and R.M. Williams. Each organisation has committed $100,000 to fund a 12-month transition phase while the scheme is established over the course of the decade.

However Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has told the rest of the fashion industry it had 12 months to sign up or else face regulation directly.

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How can we reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that goes to landfill each year? Learn about the environmental impacts of fast fashion and how to build a more sustainable wardrobe.

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Check out this Presentation designed by Clean Up Australia.

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Join the Compost Revolution for huge discounts on composting gear from your council.

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Recycle your food scraps and cut your waste in half with huge discounts on compost bins, worm farms & bokashi bins. Australia's largest community of composters makes it easy with fun how-to guides, and easy online ordering. Join the revolution at: www.compostrevolution.com.au

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These War On Waste teaching resources are designed to lead primary and secondary students through a deeper understanding of some of the big issues relating to waste in Australia and to support them in taking action to reduce the impact of waste on our environment.

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Red landfill bin

Animal waste goes into your household red landfill bin.

See Red lid bins

Tip!

Place animal waste into empty pet food bags prior to putting into your household bin.

Additional information

Why not the organics bin? We want to keep our organic compost to the highest of quality for use on garden beds. Unlike cow or horse manure which can be used on garden beds, dog, cat and other companion animal waste consists of products other than grass that will lessen the quality of our compost.

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Search to find out where your rubbish items go.

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Leading Sustainability in Schools: From Passion to Practice

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Children learn science in nature play long before they get to school classrooms and labs

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The number of preschools pursuing learning through nature play is growing fast worldwide. However, the effectiveness and impacts of this approach is largely untested, and we recently completed the first large-scale study in the world to explicitly research nature play in early childhood education.

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Step into Future Now, an Australian Museum exhibition about sustainability and be inspired by practical and innovative ways to build a more sustainable future.

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Sustainable Underwear Australia | Ethical, Eco-Friendly Intimates

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Discover eco-friendly underwear made with organic cotton and recycled fabrics. Ethical, sustainable, and designed to last. Shop our best-sellers today.

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A 100% transparent process takes empty blister packs and separates the aluminium and plastic right in in Australia. All material collected is diverted from landfill.

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TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Simply choose the programs you'd like to join; start collecting in your home, school, or office; download free shipping labels; and send us your waste to be recycled.