Problem Household Waste

Community Recycling Stations

accept common household problem wastes that cannot go into kerbside bins, including household batteries, ink cartridges, mobile phones, eye glasses, smoke detectors and x-rays. These stations are located at:

• Council Customer Service Centre, 40 Cherry Street, Ballina
• Ballina Library, 6 River Street, Ballina
• Salvage Shed Tip Shop, 167 Southern Cross Drive, Ballina
• Lennox Head Cultural Centre, Mackney Lane, Lennox Head

For further information download the Community Recycling Station brochure(PDF, 763KB) 

Mobile Phones and Accessories

can also be dropped off at:

• Ballina's Telstra Store
• Ballina's Optus World
• or find your nearest Mobile Muster drop off location

E-Waste

can be dropped off free at the Resource Recovery Centre. Accepted materials are:

• all electrical cords, cables, chargers
• all household appliances
• all televisions and accessories, such as CRTs, plasma, LCD and projection 
• laptops, notebooks, palmtops and tablets
• computer monitors
• parts for personal computers - eg internal hard drives, motherboards, cards, internal power supplies, CPUs, DVD and CD drives
• computer peripherals - eg mice, keyboards, joysticks, game pads, scanners and web cameras
• printers - eg home office ink-jet, dot matrix, laser printers and multi-functional devices
• stereo and sound equipment

Return Unwanted Medicines

Stockpiling old medicines at home can be risky, not just for you but also for your family and pets. It is important to dispose of old and unwanted medicines safely. Do not place them in landfill bins or flush them down the toilet, as they may become accessible to the community and can harm plant, marine and animal life.

Unwanted medicines can be handed in to most pharmacies. Pharmacy staff put the medicines in special bins which are then transported to specialist incineration sites where they cannot harm fauna or waterways.

Empty medicine bottles (glass or plastic) can be recycled in the yellow recycling bin.

Empty blister packs are recycled by Pharmacycle. Our current drop off location is: 

• Blooms The Chemist, Ballina Fair, Ballina

Find out more by talking to your local pharmacy or visit returnmed.com.au

Plastic bags and soft plastics should be avoided if possible as they take thousands of years to break down in landfill.

Soft plastics can be reduced by choosing loose produce and products with recyclable packaging, using reusable produce and shopping bags, and shopping at farmers markets and bulk food stores. 

Soft plastics and plastic bags must go in your landfill bin, not recycling or FOGO. Paid soft plastics recycling options currently exist for those interested through programs such as ReSmart or TerraCycle. The REDcycle soft plastics recycling supermarket program is currently on hold. This section will be updated when a new program is implemented.

See our Nappies and personal hygiene waste factsheet(PDF, 496KB) for information on managing the waste of these common products. Disposable nappies, period products and continence products must always go in the landfill bin, even if the label says compostable, degradable, or biodegradable.

Council ran a popular Reusable Products Rebate as a trial during the 2024/25 financial year with a limited budget. Even without a rebate, reusable nappies, period and continence products have financial and environmental benefits. You can find some information below, or plenty more online.

Why use reusable nappies?

• Australia sends over 2 billion nappies to landfill each year and it can take up to 500 years for each nappy to decompose. Based on a conservative estimate of a baby using 5 nappies per day, one baby would use 1,825 nappies per year. If 100 families take advantage of the rebate, we could divert at least 180,000 nappies from landfill each year.
• On average, a child will use $3,500 worth of nappies, opposed to reusable nappies that can cost between $500 and $1,500. Reusable nappies can be used for subsequent children, cutting costs even more.

Why use reusable sanitary products?

Menstrual products have come a long way, and the wide range of sustainable options available ensures that every person can find a product that works for their body, lifestyle, and income.

Disposable period products (pads, panty liners, tampons) are often made from a combination of cotton, plastics and other synthetic materials, and can take up to 500 years to break down in landfill. It’s estimated that for each period the equivalent of a shopping bag full of plastics, fibres and wrappers is thrown away. Switching to a reusable option can save an average of 240 disposable sanitary products per person per year.

Why use reusable incontinence/ continence management products?

According to The Continence Foundation of Australia, 1 in 4 Aussies suffer from incontinence. Adult incontinence products already outweigh baby nappies in landfill and could outnumber them 10 to 1 by 2030. All disposable hygiene products produce greenhouse gases in landfill, leachate, and the plastic they contain biodegrades into micro plastics and enters the environment.

It is always recommended to speak to a continence nurse for help choosing the right product. Contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 330 066.

The Continence Foundation of Australia website has excellent information and videos to help choose the right product for you.