If you’re eying off a new TV or lounge suite at tax time, make sure you try the “bend and snap” before you bin the packaging.
If it’s white, expanded polystyrene – often found boxed with electrical items, household appliances and furniture – it can be recycled for free at Wollongong Community Recycling Centre (CRC) at Whytes Gully.
Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said that since starting the service in late 2024, more than 7,200 cubic metres of expanded polystyrene had been recycled.
“Polystyrene takes hundreds of years to breakdown in landfill and can easily be blown by the wind into our parks, creeks and the beautiful Lake Illawarra,” she said.
“Since we started recycling, we’ve been able to divert 18 tonnes, or three Olympic swimming pools’ worth, of polystyrene from our landfill.”
There are multiple types of white plastic packaging, and not all are accepted for recycling. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to tell between expanded polystyrene and other types of plastic.
“Residents can check theirs by taking a long piece and applying a small amount of pressure from both ends. If it snaps easily, it’s expanded polystyrene and can be recycled for free at our CRC. If it bends, it’s another type and belongs in your red-lid bin,” said Cr Brown.
“To paraphrase the classic line from Legally Blonde, the bend and/or snap works every time.”
Watch below as Fiona and Mick demonstrate the bend and snap
Cr Brown explained that while no polystyrene can be recycled from the yellow-lid bin, dropping it off at the CRC has multiple benefits.
“Polystyrene which is collected for recycling is shredded, melted and moulded into small sausage shapes (pictured), just two per cent of the original size. From there, it’s shipped off and turned into a range of new products like outdoor furniture, decking, picture frames and skirting boards.”
“Recycling removes another waste stream from going to our landfill. It also means less polystyrene litter that can be blown into our waterways.”
Visit the Community Recycling Centre webpage for opening hours and a list of accepted items for your visit (these are subject to change). When you arrive, the polystyrene drop-off area is next to the cardboard compactor. Ask the staff in hi-vis jackets for directions.
The following items are not accepted at the CRC. They can go in your red-lid bin:
- Pool noodles
- Food packaging
- Foam wrapping
- Packing peanuts or bean bag beans
If you’re not sure which bin to use, check the Wollongong Waste app.
