This week, 10 -16 November 2025, marks National Recycling Week, and it's the perfect time to reflect on how we can all play our part, as consumers, households or business owners.
Bass Coast continues to lead the way in recycling, with our community diverting 70.1% of kerbside collection waste from landfill in 2024/25. Diversion from landfill means that instead of going to waste, materials like paper, glass, plastics, and metals are recovered and reused, giving them a new life.
Bass Coast Shire Council is one of only two councils in the large shire category to score above 70%, narrowly behind Macedon Ranges at 70.4%, and well above the large shire average of 47.7%. This isn't just a win for Council - it's a celebration of our community's commitment to recycling.
National Recycling Week, founded by Planet Ark in 1996, encourages Australians to improve recycling knowledge, reduce waste, and keep valuable materials in use. Since its inception, the national recycling rate has risen from just 7% to more than 60%.
This year's theme, 'Join the Cycle', reminds everyone to recycle right, reduce consumption, and reuse where possible.
This National Recycling Week, we're highlighting where your recycling goes after it's collected, and why it matters.
Each week, recyclable materials from households across Bass Coast are transported toa recycling and resource recovery facility, where a combination of advanced machinery and careful human inspection ensures contamination is removed and valuable materials are recovered:
- Paper and Cardboard: Pulled and remanufactured into new boxes and office paper.
- Glass: Crushed and melted into new bottles and jars.
- Hard Plastics: Sorted by type and processed into pellets for new plastic containers.
- Steel and Aluminium: Melted and reformed into new cans.
Ever notice you don't hear it called the tip much anymore? That's because Bass Coast's waste and recycling facilities have moved beyond landfill. We go further, recycling items like polystyrene, textiles, X-rays and mattresses, helping divert these items from landfill. Don't forget, excess household recycling can be dropped off for free at our facilities.
