Recycling station at Realm

The recycling station will accept the following items in residential quantities:

• x-rays
• batteries (including AA, AAA, C, D and 9V)
• compact fluorescent light bulbs (no tubes)
• CDs, DVDs, floppy disks and VHS tapes
• small e-waste items such as, mobile phones, chargers, cords, cameras, tablets, torches, smartwatches and cables
• sharps containers (personal/household use only).

The recycling station has a separate chute for each item. Each separate chute is clearly labelled.

Please see the Realm Customer Service desk if you are disposing sharps containers or compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Before dropping your items off at the Realm recycling station, it is important to wipe your data from laptops and mobile devices.

By wiping your data, you ensure that all your personal information is permanently erased from the device. That way, you can protect your personal information.

You can wipe your data by:

• resetting your device to factory settings or
• using data-erasing software

It is important to follow the manufacturer's guidelines or seek professional help so that your data is wiped properly.

Household batteries, including AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries, cannot go in any of your kerbside bins.

Here are some tips for safely recycling your old household batteries, via an accredited B-cycle battery recycling location.

Safely collect and store your old household batteries

Tape each end of your old batteries using clear sticky tape. This prevents sparking and reduces the risk of fire. Button batteries should be taped on all sides. This also acts as a safety measure if a child tries to swallow one.

Once you have taped the ends of your batteries, you can safely store your batteries before you drop them off at a recycling location by:

• Collecting taped batteries in a non-airtight glass container. Avoid using metal containers or storing batteries with metal objects.
• Keeping the container out of reach of children and pets and storing it in a cool, dry place.

Battery recycling drop off points in Maroondah

When you are ready to recycle your old household batteries, you can visit a drop-off point in Maroondah:

• Council’s recycling station at Realm in Ringwood
• One of the B-cycle battery recycling locations in Maroondah
• One of Council’s E-waste + More collection events in May and October each year

For more battery recycling tips, read our blog post.

Batteries

Lithium batteries contain valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. These metals can be extracted and used to make new batteries. Lithium batteries are crushed and the metals are separated. Any remaining materials can be reused in other applications.

Alkaline batteries are shredded. The plastic and metal components are then separated. The recovered materials can be reused to make new products such as stainless steel, new batteries and plastic products.

Please note: batteries cannot be disposed of in your general waste bin. 

CDs, DVDs, floppy disks and VHS tapes

CDs, DVDs, floppy disks and VHS tapes are sorted and separated from any other materials present, like paper and labels, then shredded. After they are shredded into small plastic pieces, metals are then separated from the plastic. The plastic pieces are washed to remove any dirt, labels or adhesives.

The clean plastic pieces are then melted down to create pellets or small beads. These are then reused to create new plastic products such as bollards, flower-pots or other similar items. 

Electronic-waste items (e-waste items)

Different types of e-waste are made from different materials and components that require different recycling methods. E-waste components such as circuit boards, batteries and plastics are separated then disassembled into their individual parts.

The separated parts are then sent to specialised recycling facilities where they are made into new products. For example, metals like gold, silver, and copper are removed and reused to make new electronics. Plastics are made into new products.

Please note: e-waste cannot be disposed of in your general waste bin.

Fluorescent light bulbs

Once the light bulbs have been collected, they are crushed into small pieces and used in the production of new products.

Please note: fluorescent light bulbs cannot be disposed of in your general waste bin.

Sharps containers

Once the sharps containers have been collected from Council by a medical waste specialist, they are taken to their facility for processing.

Please note: sharps containers cannot be disposed of in your general waste bin.

X-rays

X-rays are shredded into small pieces. Shredding helps to separate the plastic film from the silver content. The shredded material is then placed into a machine that uses static electricity to remove the silver. These raw materials are then used by manufacturers to help make new products.