Same answer in every state and territory
Can you recycle drinking glasses in Australia?
Anywhere in Australia, drinking glasses, Pyrex, ovenware and ceramics cannot go in the recycling bin. They melt at a different temperature to bottle glass and ruin the batch, so they go in general waste, wrapped in newspaper if broken. Sound pots, pans, plates and utensils sell fast at op shops. Only bottles and jars are recycled at the kerb.
Sources Recycle Right WA
What do I do with kitchenware & glass?
- Sound pots, pans, utensils Op shops take these readily — they sell fast.
- Chipped plates, mugs, drinking glasses Not recyclable. Ceramic and drinking glass melt at a different temperature to bottle glass and ruin the batch.
- Broken anything Wrap it in newspaper before it goes in the general waste bin, so it doesn't cut a collection worker.
No kerbside bin anywhere in Australia takes drinking glasses, Pyrex or ceramics. Bottle-and-jar glass is the only glass that is recycled at the kerb.
Can drinking glasses go in the recycling bin?
No, not anywhere in Australia. Drinking glass, Pyrex, ovenware, window glass and ceramics have a different melting point to bottle glass. One heat-resistant dish in a load can downgrade the whole batch. They go in the general waste bin.
What do I do with a broken glass or plate?
Wrap it in newspaper or put it in a small box before it goes in the general waste bin, so it does not cut a collection worker. Never put broken glass loose in the recycling bin.
Will an op shop take pots, pans and plates?
Yes, readily, as long as they are clean and sound. Pots, pans, utensils and complete sets of plates and glasses sell quickly. Chipped plates, mugs and glasses do not, and they end up in the charity's skip.
What about a state with a purple glass bin?
Victoria is rolling out a purple-lid glass bin, but it is for bottles and jars only. Drinking glasses, Pyrex and ceramics still go in general waste there, the same as everywhere else in Australia.
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This answer is the same in every state and territory, so there is one page for it. The answers that change at the state border are listed at where does it go.