Photo: Supplied.
FROM REDLAND CITY COUNCIL
Across Redlands Coast, residents have shown what’s possible when a community commits to better everyday recycling habits.
The 2025 Let’s Get it Sorted (LGIS) education campaign, supported by the Queensland Government, has delivered some of the strongest improvements the city has ever seen. And while the campaign may be over, the momentum it created is something we can’t afford to lose.
The program saw more than 27,000 yellow lid recycling bins checked up to three times for contamination, with helpful improvement tips provided via educational bin tags.
That personalised feedback worked: 89% of households achieved a four or five star rating, and the number of five-star recycling households – those with zero contamination – increased by seven per cent from the first to the final checks.
Alexandra Hills and Birkdale earned the highest proportion of five-star ratings and Macleay Island and Thorneside recorded the greatest improvements.
But the real story is what changed behind closed lids. Results show that Redlanders didn’t just receive feedback; they acted on it, with a clear reduction in contaminants.
- Soft plastics don’t belong in recycling: 27 per cent of residents who previously placed soft plastics, packets, wrappers and bags into recycling now correctly dispose of them in the red lid bin or take them to specialty recycling drop-offs.
- Keep recycling loose: 23 per cent of households have shifted to emptying their recyclables loose into the yellow lid recycling bin, preventing bagged recycling from ending up in landfill.
The results also translate into measurable environmental gains.
- 1.7 per cent decrease in recyclables lost to landfill, proof that improved habits at home help keep valuable resources in the circular economy.
- More recycling being recoverable, with severe contamination dropping from 7 per cent to just 4 per cent after three rounds of checks.
While these achievements deserve recognition, they also highlight the need to stay vigilant.
Film-like plastics, bagged recyclables, toys, Tupperware, laundry baskets, paper towels and tissues remain among the common contaminants in yellow lid bins. They may seem harmless, but once they enter the recycling stream, they create significant processing challenges.
Simple changes can help every household maintain five-star recycling habits year-round:
- Emptying recyclables loose
- Investing in a twin bin setup in the kitchen
- Using search tools like Council’s A–Z recycling guide or the Recycle Mate app.
As Council works with everyone towards reducing waste, these everyday actions remain the foundation of our city’s zero waste future.
The Let’s Get it Sorted initiative proved what we already suspected: Redlands Coast residents care deeply about their environment and when given the right information, are keen to do their part. Now it’s up to all of us to keep the momentum going – one bin, one household and one good habit at a time.
To find out more, visit redland.qld.gov.au/recycling
For a handy pocket guide on what to recycle and where, download the Recycle Mate app.
