We’ve crunched the numbers. From the thousands of recycling help queries made each year, these 7 items came out on top.
Recycling help is our free online search tool tailored for City of Sydney residents. Easily search for items you want to get rid of, from coat hangers and cardboard boxes to saucepans and shoes.
Starting from the bottom, these are the items people found most confusing.
7. Easter egg wrappers
This one surprises many Sydneysiders. Whether it’s Easter-themed or just your standard aluminium chocolate foil, the advice is the same.
Scrunch small pieces of aluminium foil into a ball. When it’s about the size of a tennis ball, pop it in the yellow lid bin. Just make sure you eat all the chocolate first (no complaints there).
6. CDs, DVDs and their cases
They might become classic collectables one day, but if you need to clear up space now, you can treat CDs and DVDs just like electronics.
Keep them out of bins and book a doorstep recycling collection, drop them off at our Ultimo recycling pop-up on Tuesdays from 2pm to 7pm or take them to a quarterly Recycle It Saturday event in Alexandria.
5. Takeaway coffee cups
On the days you forget your reusable mug, take your single-use coffee cup to a 7-Eleven store and Simply Cups will recycle it. You can find another Simply Cups collection point near you.
They might look like cardboard but a sneaky plastic lining inside makes them impossible to recycle in the yellow lid bin. While it may feel wrong, the plastic lids don’t go in the yellow lid recycling bin either. They’re too light to be recycled properly.
If you can’t take them to a special collection point, put them in the red lid rubbish bin, lids and all.
4. Polystyrene
Coming in fourth, polystyrene is a tricky type of plastic that needs special recycling with us.
You can book a doorstep recycling collection, drop it off at our Ultimo recycling pop-up or bring it to a quarterly Recycle It Saturday drop-off event. As a last resort, pop it in your rubbish bin – never the recycling bin.
3. Blister packs
Third place goes to those little medication pill packets known as blister packs.
They’re made from a tricky mix of plastic and foil, which means they can’t go into recycling bins at home. Instead, choose a special recycling option that suits you:
- Book a free doorstep recycling collection from home
- Use recycling stations in our customer service centres, libraries, community and recreation centres
- Drop them off at our Ultimo recycling pop-up or Recycle It Saturday events
- Find a local chemist drop-off.
If none of these options suit, put them in the red lid rubbish bin.
2. Clothes in bad condition
These are clothes that can’t be reused or resold. Here's what to do with an item of clothing you can still wear.
Try repairing damaged items first. If they’re beyond saving, here’s how you can recycle them:
- Book a free doorstep recycling collection from home
- Drop them off at our Ultimo recycling pop-up or Recycle It Saturday events
- Find other textile collection programs.
Always check what’s accepted. Certain items, such as underwear, bras and swimwear, aren’t allowed.
Drumroll for the top searched item …
1. Coffee grounds
Surprised?
Coffee grounds may seem harmless and they’re small enough to wash down sinks but they can block your drains. Treat coffee grounds like food.
Check if you can access our food scraps recycling service at home. Plans to expand the service to all households in our area are in the works.
If you have a home compost bin or worm farm, you can put coffee grounds in there.
Or drop off your coffee grounds along with other food scraps at our Ultimo recycling pop-up, open Tuesdays from 2pm to 7pm. Bring them in a reusable container or AS 4736 compostable bags, available at major supermarkets.
As a last resort, put your coffee grounds in the rubbish bin.
Need more recycling help? Find answers for hundreds of items in seconds.
Published 24 February 2026, updated 26 February 2026
