Information about waste education
Managing our waste is an important part of nurturing and protecting our city’s environment. The City’s Waste Education Plan 2022-2025 outlines the goals, City-based programs and community initiatives to meet the vision for our waste.
Visit Mandurah Matters to learn how the Waste Education Plan was developed.
What is the ARL?
The ARL is an evidence based standardised system that provides you with easy to understand recycling information for packaging. It shows what needs to be done with each piece of a package to dispose of it in the best way.Why do we need it?
Australian and New Zealanders are keen to recycle but are often confused about what packaging is recyclable and what is not. The ARL is designed to reduce this confusion with clear, on-pack instructions on what to do.
Many products already have the Australasian Recycling Label and many more items are being labelled everyday.
How does it work?
Worm farming and composting are fantastic for your garden and helps the environment. Adding compost and worm farm liquids to your garden soil:
- Loosens clay soils
- Helps sandy soils retain water
- Improves soil nutrients
- Suppresses plant diseases and pests
The following resources will help you to set up a compost bin or worm farm:
The City in partnership with Cleanaway offer a school incursion program where an Education Officer will visit schools within the Mandurah area to teach about waste education and sustainability. The program is free and aims to educate students in Years 1 - 6 about waste minimisation and management through the implementation of the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle principles. The program has been designed to integrate with the curriculum, making it easy for teachers to use the sessions efficiently and as part of the school year, rather than an additional topic to cover.
Children are recognised as great agents of change, and are encouraged to take what they learn from the program and utilise the principles within the school, at home and within the community. They will learn concepts and approaches for sustainable practices that should be carried forward into their adult life.
For learning suitability, the program has been broken into two age groups:
- Years 1-3
- Years 4-6
The comprehensive Incursion Education Program includes one (1) incursion with a follow up quiz via the Kahoot application. Cleanaway can also provide additional programs focusing on best practice waste management in the schools, that may include the facilitation and setting up of composting, worm farms and waste wise collection points for waste streams such as soft plastics, textiles and CDS eligible containers.
If your school would like to get involved in the program please contact Cleanaway at 9587 4660 or MHwaste@cleanaway.com.au
View the school waste education program flyer
View the school education overview
Waste Wise school program
The Waste Wise Schools program is run through the Waste Authority, and offers WA schools the opportunity to develop smarter waste practices through the “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” principle. The program is free to Western Australian schools and provides great support and resources to teachers with activities linked to the WA Curriculum. Schools also have the opportunity to apply for grants towards their Waste Wise activities.
Further information on the program can be found on the Waste Authority website.
Containers for Change is a new state-wide container deposit scheme that lets you cash in eligible containers for a 10 cents refund.
There are four refund points designated for the Mandurah area.
Bag drop locations:
- Mandurah Recycling - 13 Gordon Road, Mandurah (Monday to Saturday)
- Good Sammy Recycling - 120 Pinjarra Road, Mandurah (Monday to Sunday)
- Community Recycling WA Mandurah Central - Lane Group Stadium, Clarice Street, Mandurah (24/7)
- Community Recycling WA Dawesville - Ocean Road Sporting Pavilion, Moora Close, Dawesville (24/7)
- Community Recycling WA Erskine - 39 Galbraith Loop, Erskine (Monday to Saturday 8am-4pm)
Depot locations:
- Mandurah Recycling - 13 Gordon Road, Mandurah (Monday to Saturday)
- Containers for Cash Mandurah - 5 Rafferty Road, Mandurah (Monday to Sunday)
- Community Recycling WA Erskine - 39 Galbraith Loop, Erskine (Monday to Saturday 8am-4pm)
- Community Recycling WA Mandurah Central - Lane Group Stadium, Clarice Street, Mandurah (Monday to Wednesday 9am-1pm, Thursday 1pm-5pm)
Pop up
- Community Recycling Mandurah Central - Lane Group Stadium, Clarice Street, Mandurah (Monday to Thursday)
Further information about these refund points (opening times, payment methods, contact details, etc.) can be found on the Containers for Change website.
The Containers for Change program aims to:
- Increase recovery and recycling of empty beverage containers
- Reduce the number of empty beverage containers that are disposed of as litter or to landfill
- Provide opportunities to social enterprise and benefits for community organisations
- Create opportunities for employment
- Complement existing collection and recycling activities for recyclable waste
Collect Eligible Containers
Most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard containers between 150ml and 3L are eligible for a refund. The scheme targets beverage containers most commonly seen as litter. Check if your container is eligible for a refund below.
Please be sure that all containers are empty and have their lids removed.
Eligible Items
- Aluminium, steel, plastic (HDPE/PET), glass, liquid paperboard
- From 150 millilitres to 3 litres
- Purchased in WA
- Displays the refund mark
- Be an approved container
Ineligible Items
- Glass containers which have contained wine or pure spirits
- Plain milk containers
- Containers 1 litre or more which have contained flavoured milk, pure fruit or vegetable juice, cask wine or cask water
- Concentrated/ Undiluted cordials or syrup containers
- Registered health tonics
Note: Most ineligible containers can still be recycled through Councils kerbside recycling collection.
WA Plastics Ban
Plastics have become a part of everyday life. They are inexpensive, convenient, and used in many applications. However, many single use plastics either end up as litter or landfill. To reduce plastic pollution, the Western Australian Government has implemented from July 1, 2022, a state-wide ban on the supply of certain plastic items.
What items are banned?
Banned as of March 2024:
- All plastic shopping bags with handles
- Disposable plastic utensils - straws, stirrers, and cutlery
- Disposable plastic foodware without lids - plates, bowls, and food containers
- Expanded polystyrene food containers and trays
- Disposable plastic cups for cold drinks
- Loose-fill expanded plastic packaging
- EPS cups and EPS trays for raw meat and seafood
- Degradable plastics
- Disposable cotton buds with plastic stems
- Microbeads in rinse-off personal care, cosmetic and cleaning products
- Unlidded plastic disposable trays for food
- plastic or bioplastic hot beverage cups (whole composition or lined)
- plastic or bioplastic lids for hot and cold beverage cups
The ban applies to:
- conventional plastics made from fossil fuels, as well as plant-based plastics (limited exemptions apply)
- items made of plastic in whole or part (including linings, coatings, and laminates)
- items sold or given away
- items supplied individually or in packets
The ban does not apply to:
- items pre-packaged offsite in food or beverage products (e.g., straw attached to juice box)
- items intended for supply outside WA or business-to-business transport
- plastic straws provided in certain situations for people with a disability or healthcare need
Balloon releases are also banned, however, balloons are not banned.
Cleanaway has collaborated with waste education teams across Australia to design the Greenius online learning platform. Greenius is an education tool which helps householders decide what should go into their general waste and commingled recycling bins by addressing common recycling questions such as whether recycling should be bagged or unbagged, through interactive content, flashcards, quizzes and videos.
Up to 35% of recycling is currently being lost to landfill due to contamination but if every person focused on removing soft plastic, food, liquid and textiles from their recycling, we would resolve more than 50% of all recycling contamination. Greenius aims to motivate people to facilitate and accelerate the transition to a circular economy, demonstrating how the small actions and changes we make every day can have lasting impacts for years to come.
Households can access Greenius on either mobile or desktop PC with no logins required – just select state to get started.
Greenius users who have completed the various modules can also download a certificate certifying their accomplishments. These can be shared on social media to help spread the word on sustainability to the whole community. Ready to become a recycling genius? Head over to greenius.com.au to get started.
Helpful resources
