No tissues, paper towel in recycling or FOGO

Current as of 1 April 2025

Recent inspections of kerbside bins found tissues and paper towel in some recycling & FOGO bins. These items are not recyclable or compostable in your kerbside bins: put them in your landfill bin instead.

Although tissues are made of paper, they are made of very short fibres that are not high enough quality to be recycled.  Tissues, paper towel and wipes are also too soft or dirty to be correctly sorted at recycling facilities.

Hand and baby wipes are made from synthetic fibres and are not compostable – do not put them in your FOGO bin.

Used tissues, paper towel and hand or baby wipes are also a hygiene issue for staff working at the sorting facilities. Put all tissues, hand or baby wipes, and large amounts of paper towel in your red-lid landfill bin.

What about paper towel used to line my kitchen caddy?

The occasional sheet of paper towel used in the bottom of your benchtop caddy is accepted in your green-lid FOGO bin. Large amounts of paper towel in your FOGO bin impact the compost process.

Can shredded paper be recycled or composted?

No. Shredded paper is too small to be correctly sorted from other materials at the sorting facility. If you want to recycle paper, put whole sheets in your recycling bin to ensure they can have another life as recycled paper products such as newsprint, office paper and egg cartons.

If you are unsure whether an item can go into your bin, check surfcoast.vic.gov.au/a-z

And remember, your small acts make a big impact on Victoria’s sustainable future.