The City of Mitcham is calling on all residents to take part in a new education campaign to increase recycling and reduce confusion around items which go in each bin.

Householders will receive a letter-box delivered package with an information 'disc' which explains what goes in which bin and two bin lid stickers to remind them about 'what goes in which bin'. If you have questions on recycling call 1300 137 118 or visit the Zero Waste SA website at www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/ which contains comprehensive information on how to recycle correctly with an educational video showing how materials are sorted at a material recovery facility.

The campaign is being developed in collaboration with Zero Waste SA, Visy, Composting SA and the Local Government Association of South Australia.

Please visit the the following website which provides more information on this exiting initiative. While you are there please view the educational video showing how to recycle correctly.

www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/Search.mvc/Council

Your 240 litre bin with a yellow lid is for recyclable materials and will be collected fortnightly on the same days as the household waste bin.

What Can You Put in Your Recycling Bin?

• Steel and aluminium cans including empty aerosol cans.
• Newspaper.
• Cardboard.
• Glossy paper (magazines and junk mail).
• Glass, bottles and jars (no lids).
• Cartons (such as milk, juice, custard, long-life products etc).
• Plastic containers (no lids).
• All rigid plastic containers are now recyclable (ie containers that hold their shape).
• Any plastic bottle or container stamped on its base with a 1,2 or 3 inside a chasing arrow symbol.

To Recycle Correctly

• Remove all lids from jars, bottles and plastic containers (steel lids can be put inside of steel cans).
• Rinse containers as necessary (save water by using leftover dishwater).
• Flatten boxes.
• Place all recyclables loose - do not bundle newspaper or cardboard.
• Squash or brick milk and juice cartons if you are able.

There are a number of different plastics, each with a different chemical composition and set of properties. To help differentiate them, manufacturers stamp a Plastics Identification Code on their products. This code is a number inside a triangle of chasing arrows. These codes only identify the product and do not indicate that the product can be recycled. In theory, most plastics can be recycled. However, due to expense, it is only economically viable to recycle three types of plastic from domestic sources: PET (code 1), HDPE (code 2) and V (code 3). These three plastics can be recycled through your curb-side recycle bin.

Not only can you recycle bottles, glass jars and newspapers but did you know that corks can also be recycled? So can plastic bags, greeting cards, copier/fax cartridges, bottles and even mobile phones. Details of where certain items can be recycled are listed below. If you can't find what your looking for try visiting the Recycling Near You Website.

Blackwood True Value Hardware - 235 Main Road, Blackwood
Barrow and Bench Mitre 10 - 321 Unley Road, Malvern

DeLights provide South Australian consumers with a responsible way to dispose of fluorescent tubes and energy-efficient light globes. The hi-tech recycling processor called "The Globalizer" is an Australian invention which safely separates the glass, plastic, metal harmful mercuries and phosphors contained in energy-efficient long life globes. DeLights stores are located at:

Holden Hill - 730 North East Road
Ashford - 37 Anzac Highway
Morphett Vale - 196 Main South Road

Australians use an estimated six billion plastic shopping bags a year - that's 12,000 a minute. Avoiding plastic bags all together is the best thing you can do by using cotton or calico bags which can be purchased at local supermarkets. The next best thing to do is to re-use plastic bags over and over. When the bags can not be used any longer, take them to collection points for recycling at:

Woolworths Blackwood
360 Shepherds Hill Road, Blackwood

Woolworths Cumberland Park
366 Goodwood Road, Cumberland Park

Woolworths Torrens Park
Mitcham Square, 119 Belair Road, Torrens Park

Coles Daw Park
550 Goodwood Road, Daw Park, SA 5041 Ph: (08) 8276 3983

Coles Blackwood
Corner Main Road and Young Street, Blackwood, SA 5051 Ph: (08) 8278 8233

Coles Edwardstown
Castle Plaza Shopping Centre, 992 South Road, Edwardstown, SA 5039 Ph: (08) 8277 9744

Close to 100% of the components of mobile phones, accessories and batteries can be recycled.

Mobile Muster is the official Mobile Phone Industry Recycling Program. It is a voluntary initiative that aims to keep toxic elements such as nickel, cadmium plastics, lithium ion and nickel-metal hydride out of landfill.

The products extracted from the recycling process are used to produce everyday household items such as stainless steel saucepans and furniture as well as new mobile phone batteries. For more information about Mobile Muster and the way the mobile phones are recycled after collection visit the Mobile Muster website.

Participating Outlets:

City of Mitcham Civic Centre
131 Belair Road, Torrens Park

Mitcham Library
154 Belair Road, Hawthorn

Blackwood Library
215 Main Road, Blackwood

City of Mitcham Works Depot
Winston Court, Melrose Park

Battery World
167 Edward Street, Melrose Park

Edwardstown Post Office
Castle Plaza Shopping Centre, 992 South Road, Edwardstown

Melrose Park Post Office
3 Rose Street, Melrose Park

Mitcham Square Post Office
Mitcham Square, 119 Belair Road, Torrens Park

Most batteries contain heavy metals which is the main cause for environmental concern. Disposed of incorrectly, the heavy metals may leak into the ground when the battery erodes. This contributes to soil and water pollution and endangers wildlife. Some components in batteries can be toxic to fish and make them unfit for human consumption.

While there are currently no recycling systems available for alkaline cell batteries in Australia there are places which will take household batteries at no cost, to recycle them for the metal components and ensure that they are safely disposed of.

Take your dead household batteries (ie batteries used in cameras, toys, electronic games, remotes, smoke detectors) to any one of our battery collection areas at the City of Mitcham's Civic Centre, Depot or Libraries:

City of Mitcham Civic Centre
131 Belair Road, Torrens Park
Phone 8372 8888
Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm

City of Mitcham Works Depot
Winston Court, Melrose Park
Phone 8372 8888
Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm

Blackwood Library
242 Main Road, Blackwood
Phone 8372 8255

Opening Hours:

• Monday 10 am to 5.30 pm
• Tuesday 10 am to 5.30 pm
• Wednesday 10 am to 5.30 pm
• Thursday 10 am to 8 pm
• Friday 10 am to 2 pm
• Saturday 10 am to 4 pm
• Sunday 2 pm to 5 pm
• Public Holidays - Closed
• Extreme and Catastrophic Fire Warning Days - Closed

Mitcham Library
154 Belair Road, Lower Mitcham
Phone 8372 8244

Opening Hours:

• Monday 10 am to 5.30 pm
• Tuesday 10 am to 5.30 pm
• Wednesday 10 am to 8 pm
• Thursday 10 am to 5.30 pm
• Friday 10 am to 2 pm
• Saturday 10 am to 4 pm
• Sunday 2 pm to 5 pm
• Public Holidays - Closed

E-Cycle Recovery
389 Glen Osmond Road, Glen Osmond 5064
Phone 8262 4074
Website: http://www.ecyclerecovery.com.au
Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm

E-Cycle Recovery
352 Richmond Road, Netley 5037
Monday to Thursday 8 am to 4 pm and Friday 8 am to 2 pm

Hampshire Recycling
24 Pleasant Grove, Holden Hill 5088
Monday to Friday 8 am to 4.30 pm and Saturday 8 am to 2 pm

Battery World
Melrose Park, 167 Edward Street Phone 8371 2666
Glynde - 460 Payneham Road
Hilton - 86 Sir Donald Bradman Drive
Marion - 173 Sturt Road
Modbury - Shops 2 and 3, 1048 Grand Junction Road
Morphett Vale - 6 Bains Road
Mount Barker - Shop 8, 4 Dutton Road
Port Adelaide - 1144 Old Port Road

Website: http://www.batteryworld.com.au/

When a smoke alarm is disposed in domestic waste it is ultimately dispersed throughout a large volume of waste at the landfill or bale-fill waste disposal site. The small amount of radioactive material in smoke alarms is not a health hazard. It does not present a radiation risk to personnel involved in waste handling at resource recovery facilities or landfill and bale-fill operations, the public, or the environment.

The health and environmental impacts of disposal of smoke alarms in domestic waste are negligible and less than the potential impacts from collection and keeping them in storage.

Having acknowledged the negligible risks to people and the environment, several international regulatory authorities have approved the disposal of smoke alarms containing radioactive material in domestic waste. These include the National Radiation Protection Board in the United Kingdom, the National Radiation Laboratory in New Zealand, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the United States of America. All states and territories of Australia now permit the public to dispose of smoke alarms in domestic waste.

In accordance with international best practice, disposal of small quantities of smoke alarms that contain radioactive material in domestic waste in South Australia was made legal in early 2009 under provisions of the Radiation Protection and Control Act 1982. An exemption under the Act permits up to two smoke alarms to be disposed into domestic waste during any period of seven days.

For more information visit the EPA's website at http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/households/smoke_detectors

Australians send over 5,000 tonnes of material, including printer and photocopier toner bottles and drums to landfill. Placing old cartridges into landfill causes problems for the environment. Your local Post Office, in collaboration with Planet Ark, will accept cartridges and bottles and ensure they are recycled.

Blackwood Post Office
262 Main Road, Blackwood

Edwardstown Post Shop
Shop 11 Castle Plaza Shopping Centre, 992 South Road, Edwardstown

Glen Osmond Post Office
365B Glen Osmond Road, Glen Osmond

Melrose Park Post Office
3 Rose Street, Melrose Park

Mitcham Square Post Shop
119 Belair Road, Torrens Park

Stirling Post Shop
42 Mt Barker Road, Stirling

The collected cartridges will be sent for sorting. Some toner cartridges in good condition are sent back to their original makers to be remanufactured for re-use.

The remaining cartridges are broken down and recycled. This process recovers materials such as aluminium, steel, plastics, toner and ink, which are all made into new products. None of the material is sent to landfill.

Visit Planet Ark at www.planetark.com for further information about recycling.