We’ve always believed that the best kind of waste is no waste at all. At Go For Zero, our mission has never been about just finding ways to deal with rubbish after the fact, for us it’s about stopping waste at its source. But we know the world isn’t perfect yet (if only!), and many products still come wrapped and sealed with materials that can’t go in your kerbside recycling. That’s why, five years ago, we started our recycling program to give tricky items a second chance at life.

The Current Recycling Landscape in Australia

Across Australia, more than 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated each year, but only about 13% is recycled. The rest? Landfill, incineration, or, tragically, littering our land and waterways.

Unfortunately, 2025 has seen several national recycling programs shut down without warning (including our Colgate dental recycling program), which was announced early this week as closing effective immediately. This leaves us with mountains of waste and fewer options for what we can accept. Honestly, it feels incredibly unfair. A company like Colgate should be held accountable for the waste it creates. The responsibility should sit with the polluters, not the consumers.

While it’s not the news we wanted to bring, we’re still here to help you make sure your hard-to-recycle items are handled responsibly and to inspire you to reduce waste wherever possible.

Let’s explore the most common hard-to-recycle items in your home, how to dispose of them responsibly, and what we can still accept at in Go For Zero recycling program.

Where You Can Recycle Items We No Longer Accept?

Due to program closures, we sadly can’t take certain items we once could. This includes:

1.Blister packs 

Whilst we no longer accept blister packs, the good news is that there is another, much cheaper option than sending it to us; your local pharmacy. 

Yes, that’s right! Pharmacycle is a blister pack recycler that partners with Chemist Warehouse, pharmacies, and other locations across Australia, so you can drop them off locally. You can find all participating locations here.

Once collected, the empty blister packs are transported to a facility in Sydney, where they go through a recycling process that separates the aluminium seal from the plastic. The recovered materials are then re-entered into the manufacturing cycle: the aluminium goes to Weston Aluminium in the Hunter Valley, NSW, while the plastic is sent to Think Fencing in Portarlington, VIC, to be transformed into decking and fences.

Blister packs are one of those tricky items that are hard to avoid, but now you’ll never have to pay to have them recycled properly. A win for you and the planet!

2. Oral care 

Unfortunately, Colgate recently shut down their oral care recycling program, which had recycled almost three million toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and other dental products through Terracycle.

It’s frustrating to see a big company drop the ball, but all is not lost! Some toothpaste tubes are now made from HDPE plastic, still plastic (yuck!), but many councils around Australia can recycle these through their kerbside services, so it’s worth checking locally here. For other tricky dental waste, TerraCycle still has public drop-off points at local dentists, you can find the closest one to you here.

3. Make-up packaging like empty mascara tubes and compacts

Maybe you’ve recently made the switch to a refillable mascara or foundation (go you!), but now you’re wondering what to do with the plastic tubes, pumps, and compacts from your old favourites. 

Unfortunately, most kerbside recycling systems can’t process beauty packaging because it’s often made from mixed materials, think a cocktail of plastics, metals, rubber, and sometimes even glass, all in one tiny container.

Big beauty retailers like Mecca, Sephora, and David Jones have take-back programs that accept a wide range of used makeup packaging. You can drop off everything from empty lipsticks to foundation bottles and even perfumes (just make sure they’re as clean as possible). 

From there, these items are sent to specialist recycling partners who know how to separate and process the tricky bits so they can be turned into new products instead of ending up in landfill. It’s a small detour on your next shopping trip, but a giant leap for keeping microplastics and packaging waste out of our environment.

4. Bottle caps

Small and colourful, bottle caps may look harmless, but are notoriously tricky to recycle. They often slip through recycling machinery and end up in landfill. 

Check with your local council or school; many run programs that give these lids a second life. For example, a quick Google search of “recycle bottle tops + [your council]” led us to discover our local school’s initiative, where students shred the lids and turn them into new products to sell in support of charities.

5. Batteries

Batteries leak toxic chemicals and even spark fires if tossed in the bin, so please never ever put batteries in your bins. 

B-cycle, Australia’s official battery recycling program, has drop-off spots all around Australia. Simply tape the terminals, and drop them off at one of their drop-off locations across the country like Woolworths or Bunnings. B-cycle accepts most household batteries, rechargeable batteries, and button cells(excluding embedded or car batteries).By recycling batteries, you’re keeping hazardous waste out of the environment and giving valuable materials a second life.

6. Stationary, tech & ink cartridges 

Let’s be honest, old pens, headphones, printers, and ink cartridges don’t need to sit in drawers gathering dust. Through Officeworks’ Bring It Back program is here to rescue them from landfill. Since 2015, customers have recycled over 11,000 tonnes of items like e-waste, stationery, and cartridges through this program. 

You can drop off everything from pens and markers to printers and ink cartridges, and even tech gear like laptops, cables, and hard drives at your local Officeworks store. These items are either given a second life through partnerships with Planet Ark, Mobile Muster, and TerraCycle or responsibly recycled. It’s simple, convenient, and makes a real difference one pen, cartridge, or cable at a time. And if you are ready to swap to a more sustainable option, you can find our recycled paper pens here!

What We Can Still Recycle Together

Before sending your tricky recycling items our way, we always recommend checking if there’s a local recycling option near you first. Your local council or the Recycle Mate app are great starting points, and you can also look into ReSmart for convenient door-to-door collection or see if there’s a free TerraCycle drop-off point nearby. Recycling closer to home helps cut down  emissions and keeps the process simple. If there there isn't an option close to you, we can accept the blow items:

1. Go For Zero Silicone Products: While these are designed to last a lifetime when looked after correctly (trust me, I still have my OG baking mat), if your GFZ silicone items ever become damaged, you can return them to us, and we’ll make sure they’re responsibly recycled through our partner, Terracycle. 

2. Razors Blades and Packaging: Disposable razor blades and their packaging can’t go in your kerbside bin, but you can return them to us, we’ll send them in bulk to Terracycle for responsible recycling. Even better, make the switch to our Go For Zero Butterfly Reusable Safety Razor and reduce single-use waste for good. 

3. Pumps and Trigger Sprays From Cleaning and Personal Care Bottles:We know that these parts can be challenging to avoid. Some of our own products contain them, but we work with our suppliers to offer plastic-free refills so your pumps are used over and over again! Since being zero-waste is at the heart of what we do, we want to provide a recycling option. You can return pumps and trigger sprays from cleaning and personal care bottles to us, and we’ll make sure they’re responsibly recycled through Terracycle, keeping tricky plastics out of landfill.

4. Plastic Bread Tags: Those pesky little plastic bread tags can slip through the gaps in recycling sorting machines, meaning you can’t put them in your kerbside bin. We collect them and send them to Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, where they’re recycled and transformed into funds for wheelchairs for people in need. 

Don’t forget to check if there are any local recycling options near you first; recycling closer to home will save on emissions and speed up the process.

Why We Focus on Reduction First

While these changes are frustrating, they also highlight the need for manufacturers to take accountability for the products they put into the world. After all, if they create it, they should have a plan to un-create it too. 

Recycling is important, but it’s not a magic wand. The reality is that most plastics can only be recycled once before they become unusable. That’s why our core mission remains the same: to offer everyday products that create zero waste from the start. Every reusable coffee cup, plastic free deodorant and package-free soap or cleaning product we sell is part of a dream to create the world we want. 

The future of recycling depends on all of us, individuals, communities, and especially businesses, working together. We encourage you to:

• Choose products without unnecessary packaging

• Support companies taking responsibility for their waste

• Keep learning about the best ways to dispose of tricky items

Most importantly, remember that every choice you make has power. By refusing, reusing, and recycling where possible, you’re part of the solution.

Lots of love,
Ellie xoxo