Recycle Street
A new initiative being rolled out across the City's waste and recycling centres aims to increase recycling rates on the Gold Coast. Part of our commitment to improving residents' recycling experience, Recycle Street aims to make recycling more accessible.
Making recycling easier
Customers using the self-service Recycle Street can quickly identify where to place their recycled goods with each item clearly colour coded according to type of material such as paint, motor oil, car batteries, and hazardous chemicals. Find out more about this initiative.
Colour coding at Recycle Street
Find the colour code for your recycling items' shopfront in Recycle Street, Helensvale Waste and Recycling Centre.
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Goods that can be resold at local charities | Goods that are not of resale quality |
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Car, motorbike and boat batteries | Household batteries |
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Domestic gas bottles up to nine kilograms | Industrial gas bottles |
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Household motor oil only - up to 20 litres accepted. | Fuel |
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Household chemicals only - up to 20 litres accepted. Chemicals must be disposed of in containers with secure lids. | All other types of hazardous materials, e.g. asbestos, explosives |
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Interior and exterior paint, floor paint | Aerosol paints |
| Primers, sealers and undercoats | Anti-fouling coatings |
| Stains and shellacs | Automotive and industrial paints |
| Varnishes and urethanes | Paint thinners, mineral spirits or solvents |
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Television | Mobile phones |
| Computers and laptops | Batteries |
| Notebooks and tablets | DVD players or recorders |
| Monitors | Radios |
| Speakers | Cassette players |
| Remote controls | CD players |
| Printers | Game consoles |
| Scanners | Fax machines |
| Computer-related accessories | Cameras or video cameras |
| Computer mice, webcams, keyboards | Microphones and head phones |
About this initiative
Helensvale Waste and Recycling Centre
Helensvale Waste and Recycling Centre is the first facility to undergo the transformation, with its official launch on 5 June, World Environment Day. Boasting a streamlined design, the new-look recycling area features a self-service ‘street’ complete with a colour-coded shopfront for each type of recycled waste material.
Previously, customers who were not familiar with the site were often confused due to poorly marked signage and the separation between scrap metal and white goods with the rest of recycling materials.
There was also limited room due to poor design. The new Recycle Street will ensure that space is effectively utilised and all recycling is done at the same point to avoid users walking the site or having to exit and re-enter the system. It will also reduce the incidence of customers putting the wrong items for recycling in the wrong place.
Recycle Street aims to promote positive recycling and waste disposal behaviours within the community. The first concept of its kind, Recycle Street will cement the Gold Coast as Queensland leaders in recycling.
Helensvale Recycle Street is the pioneer project of this kind and we are doing it because:
- the City expects a higher resource recovery rate at the facility by attracting residents to recycle more
- the information centre of the Recycle Street is an interaction point where information and educational materials are accessible for the customers. It will be used to promote environmental education.
- it will promote self-service at our recycling centres
- it will encourage behaviour change and reduce inappropriate attitude and behaviours towards staff.
Benefits to the community
- Layout of the structure makes recycling easier for customers.
- Customers will gain clearer information on what they can recycle and what they cannot.
- More recycling means less material will end up at landfill, which will extend our current landfill lifespan, thus reducing the financial burden on residents to pay for future landfill siting and construction.
- Reduction in raw material usage so we can preserve natural resources for future generations.
Benefits to the environment
- Saving resources and energy by using recycled materials, instead of manufacturing from raw materials.
- Less habitat disruption and destruction because we save more trees and take fewer natural resources from the environment.
- Reduced chemical release and greenhouse gas emission, thus less contribution to pollution and climate change.
Did you know?
Recycling and recovery are two of the easiest alternatives to landfill disposal. Throughout the city we are currently losing recyclable materials to landfill. As committed by our Solid Waste Strategy we are striving to increase our recovery rate to achieve a more sustainable city.
More information
Contact details, opening hours and information about accepted items can be found on the Helensvale Waste and Recycling Centre page
Related information
- Libraries
- Media Centre
- Find a park
- Alerts
- Find a waste centre
- Report a problem
- Contact us
- Forms & applications
- Events
- Have your say
- Payments
- Permits & licensing
- Disaster management
- Community Directory
