25 things to stop putting in your recycling bin in 2025

Published on 16 April 2025

Ever hover over your bins and wonder whether the item in your hand should go into the recycling bin or rubbish bin? Well, we're here to make it easy for you.

Here's our list of the top 25 things we want you to stop putting in your recycling bin. Some of them might surprise you!

1. Batteries: Please don’t bin them – they’re a serious fire risk. We've had two fires on our sorting line in the past year. Drop them at Ferguson Street Recycling Centre or any of our other handy locations around the city, including your local library.  

2. Needles and syringes: These must go into a sharps bin! Please protect our team and do the right thing – never put them in your recycling bin. 

3. Broken glass: Wrap it in newspaper and put it in your rubbish bin. 

4. Nappies and sanitary pads: They're obviously not recyclable, so put them where they belong – your rubbish bin.

5. Wet wipes and tissues: Nope, not recyclable. And not flushable either! Straight into the rubbish they go. 

6. Sticking plasters, dressings: There's one simple rule to follow – if your bodily fluids are on it or touch it then we don't want it anywhere near our team. Pop it in a bag and put it in your rubbish bin. 

7. Dirty or unwashed containers: Imagine opening a bin full of two-week-old sour milk and rotten pet food… Our sorters don’t need that experience. Give your bottles, tins, and containers a good rinse under warm water first.

8. Lids: Lids from all bottles, containers and jars can't go in your recycling bin anymore. The government changed the rules, so no lids are accepted in kerbside recycling. But don't chuck them all in the rubbish! Clean plastic lids (numbered 2, 4, or 5) and metal beer or wine caps can be dropped off at Environment Network Manawatū (145 Cuba Street) where they'll be recycled properly. 

9. Sour cream and cream cheese containers: Most of these are still made from plastic number 6, which isn’t recyclable in NZ. Some brands are switching to number 5, so check the number underneath. 

10. Six-pack yoghurt pottles: These aren't recyclable. Consider purchasing the larger 1 litre pots of yoghurt (as these can be recycled) and using small containers in lunchboxes instead. 

11. Scrunchable plastic: A general rule of thumb is that if you can scrunch the plastic in your hands and it decreases in size then it is a soft plastic and not recyclable. Unfortunately, this includes a lot of what our food comes in, including chips, biscuits, pasta, rice, cereal, snack wrappers etc.

12. Gladwrap, bubble wrap and sandwich bags: These items are a soft plastic and can't be recycled. Find out more: All about plastic

13. Cardboard drink cartons: Milk, juice and almond milk cartons can't go in your wheelie bin. But you CAN drop them off at our Ferguson Street Recycling Centre – they’ll be turned into building materials! Find out more: Tetra Pak recycling

14. Glass makeup, skincare containers and perfume bottles: This glass isn't made the same way as glass that holds food and drink, and we can't recycle it. Keep it out of your glass crate and recycling wheelie bin.

15. Polystyrene: This can’t go in your kerbside recycling, but you CAN bring it to Ferguson Street Recycling Centre, where it will be recycled into things like picture frames. Find out more: Polystyrene recycling

16. Baby food and yoghurt pouches: These are made of a combination of materials so can't be recycled. 

17. Aerosols: Deodorant, sunscreen, hairspray, fly spray etc – these are tricky to recycle as they contain a couple of different materials.  

18. Lightbulbs: These are made of a different type of glass to food and drink that can't be recycled. They belong in your rubbish; not in your glass crate, and not in your wheelie bin. 

19. Toothbrushes: We don't recycle them in our facility. 

20. Food scraps: Food scraps don’t go in your recycling bin. Compost them if you can or put them in the rubbish. 

21. Clothing: This doesn't go in your recycling bin, but if it's in good condition you can sell or donate it. 

22. Receipts: Tiny little bits of paper get stuck in our sorting machine. Pop these in your compost instead. 

23. Wood: Wood off-cuts, sawdust, or timber bits don't belong in your recycling bin.  

24. Toys: Most toys are a combo of plastic, metal, and electronic bits. Donate if they still work, otherwise, it's rubbish. 

25. Dead animals: Sad but true – sometimes we find them. Please never put animals in your recycling bin.

Still not sure what goes where? Check out our handy guide

Palmy's rubbish and recycling guide