Recycling at Old Quarry Road Transfer Station

The Shire of Northam offers a range of free recycling options;

• Batteries - Household, Car, Truck, Motorbike.
• Cardboard - Remove packing materials. Flatten cardboard box and pop in the cardboard recycling bins. 
• Clean Fill - Sand or soil with some additional extraneous material.
• DrumMUSTER - A program that recycles clean and dry drums from growers, farmers and other chemical users throughout the country.
• E-Waste - Computers, Monitors, Televisions.
• Mixed Recyclables - Plastic & glass bottles/jars, paper, newspapers etc. 
• Scrap Metal - Including car bodies, fridges, freezers, ovens, washing machines etc. 
• Waste Oil - Limit 30L per resident.
• Light globes/tubes, Printer Cartridges - At the Northam Re-Store to be sent off for recycling. The Shire of Northam strongly advises against landfilling these materials.
• Tyres will occur a fee to dispose of as per our current Shire’s Fees and Charges

Recycling at Inkpen Road Waste Management Facility 

The Shire of Northam offers a range of free recycling options;

• Batteries - Household, Car, Truck, Motorbike.
• Cardboard - Remove packing materials. Flatten cardboard box and pop in the cardboard recycling bins. 
• Clean Fill - Sand or soil with some additional extraneous material.
• E-Waste - Computers, Monitors, Televisions.
• Mixed Recyclables - Plastic & glass bottles/jars, paper, newspapers etc. 
• Scrap Metal - Including car bodies, fridges, freezers, ovens, washing machines etc. 
• Waste Oil - Limit 30L per resident.
• Tyres will occur a fee to dispose of as per our current Shire’s Fees and Charges

Containers for Change

CHECK FOR THE 10¢ MARK

It's easy to save your 10¢ containers from general waste so they can live another life — just check for the 10¢ mark!

Most plastic and glass bottles, as well as drink cartons, cans and pouches, that are 150ml to 3L are accepted.

This includes:
• Most single-serve water and fizzy drink containers up to and including 3L.
• Most single-serve alcohol containers, like beer bottles and pre-mixed spirits.
• Flavoured milk containers that are 150ml to 999ml.
• Coconut water, pure fruit, or vegetable juice containers that are 150ml to 999ml.

Make sure you take off the lids — we recycle those too, just separately.

Visit the Containers for Change website for current locations. 

Northam Library

Home Recyclables can be taken to the Northam Library located at 298 Fitzgerald St, Northam for free including;

• Dish and Aircare
• Teeth care
• Used toys
• Pens

Household Hazardous Waste

Household hazardous waste includes unwanted household products that contain chemicals or substances that can be harmful to you, your family, your pets, or the environment. 

Click here to view the current Household Hazardous Waste information flyer including locations and what is and isn't accepted. 

Visit WasteNet for more information about the Household Hazardous Waste Program, including the locations of other facilities in the program (you do not need to be a resident of the local Governments managing these facilities to be able to drop off your household hazardous waste for free).

Fuel & Hydrocarbon Waste

The Shire of Northam often get enquiries about Fuel and Hydrocarbon Waste. Unfortunately the Shire of Northam cannot accept this type of waste in its liquid form at either landfill under its legislative licence conditions. Sometimes we can accept contaminated soil after testing if it falls under the licence threshold. If you'd like to know testing required please contact the Waste Projects Officer on (08) 9622 6100.

Contaminated soil can be taken to Red Hill Waste Management Facility https://www.emrc.org.au/operations-and-projects/waste-and-recycling-services/red-hill-waste-management-facility.aspx and general Fuel and Hydrocarbon Waste can be taken by HAZRAD Australia https://www.hazrad.com.au/hydrocarbon-fuel-waste.
The Shire recommend you call these facilities to enquire about your exact needs.

Littering & Illegal Dumping

1. Take note of the location.
2. Take note of what you saw. We would appreciate a description of the rubbish such as size, quantity, material type. You can upload an image to our system if you have taken a photo.
3. Report to the Shire via the Send, Snap, Solve app or email [email protected]
4. Litter can also be reported to the Keep Australia Beautiful Council website

Tips for disposing unwanted items

1. Gift the good stuff and donate items to charity or sell online (e.g. via Gumtree or buy nothing Facebook groups)
2. Visit a Waste Management Facility
3. Book a free skip bin

Small litter

While the Shire staff regularly address litter in parks, streetscapes, and areas with high foot traffic, we encourage residents to help maintain a welcoming environment by addressing smaller litter issues that the Shire may not be able to respond to.

Bin Audits & Tagging

Bin tagging education program

2024’s bin tagging program began in February and captured areas within the Townsites of Northam, Bakers Hill & Wundowie.

The Shire of Northam works with the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) to provide bin tagging education to randomly selected households.

The bin tagging program is new to Northam.  It involves a quick look inside kerbside waste and recycling bins and then attaching a tag to bin handles to provide on-the-spot feedback for the householder.

Many Perth Local Government areas have undertaken bin tagging programs. The program is proven to substantially improve household recycling and waste management performance.  Experience shows that the improvements stick which highlights the effectiveness of giving individual feedback to households.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bin tagging? 

• Bin tagging is a State Government-funded education program delivered by Local Government on a regular basis.
• Bin tagging is an education tool to provide residents with direct individualised feedback on the contents of their bin – to help them reduce their waste and recycle right.
• Educators lift the lid of your bin while it is on the kerbside waiting to be collected and assess the immediately visible contents to see whether there is any contamination
• Bins are given ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face tags based on the presence of visible contamination in the bins. The tags include what is and isn’t accepted in the bin.
• Bin tagging is just a quick look in the bin, Educators visit around 100 bins per hour, and only look at what is immediately visible.  They do not rummage or tip out the contents.

Which bins are being tagged?

• Bins in the Townsites of Northam, Bakers Hill & Wundowie have been selected for the 2024 program.

What happens if there is contamination in my bin?

• When the wrong items are in the bins, educators leave a sad face tag. Only when there is repeated severe contamination in a bin are bins taped shut and residents are asked to remove the contamination before the bin can be emptied.

What information is on the tags? (see images below for further information)

• The bin tags have been tested and standardised in order to promote consistent waste education messages across local government areas.
• There are different tags for each bin type, and they detail what is and isn’t accepted in the bin.

Why is the program being undertaken?

• There is much confusion about what goes in which bin, bin tagging clarifies any misconceptions or confusion residents may have about the bin system, while also offering positive reinforcement to households who are sorting their waste correctly.
• Experience shows that contamination decreases on repeat visits and only a handful of properties have bins that are severely contaminated. Reducing contamination in bins reduces waste service costs.

Why is recycling contamination an issue?

• It can mean that the recyclables may go to landfill as they are no longer of good quality.
• Recycling collected from the kerbside bin is sorted by a combination of people and machinery which cannot remove all contaminants.
• Recycling processors have increasingly stringent standards for acceptance of material. Decreasing contamination in the bin decreases the cost to residents of their waste services.

Is bin tagging an invasion of privacy? 

• No, once your bin is on the verge, it is Local Government property. The Council has authorised the educators to look in the bin.  If you have concerns about specific things, put them in bags/envelopes or rip them up.
• Educators tag approximately 100 bins per hour to gain a general overview of how the household is sorting their waste.

How do I know who the educators are?

• Educators are staff members and will be wearing a high-visibility vest.

Will there be any fines?

• No, this program is purely for educational purposes.

Will anyone be named and shamed?

• No. The educators will not have access to the names of residents and data will only be reported at a Council level.

Why can’t I bag my recyclables?

• Recyclables that are put in plastic bags in the recycling bin don’t get recycled – the recycling sorting facilities don’t open or empty the bags – instead they get sent to landfill.

What are soft plastics and why can’t they be put in my recycling bin?

• Soft plastics are scrunchable plastics often used for packaging foods.
• As of 2018, soft plastics are no longer accepted in kerbside recycling bins. Please put soft plastics into your general waste / red lidded bin.

I still have questions. Who do I contact?

• Contact the Shire of Northam Waste Management Team on (08) 9622 6100 or email [email protected].