X-rays should not be put in your recycling bin at home. They can only be recycled through specialised recycling services.
Drop-off recycling points in NSW
Always call ahead to check if it will be accepted before dropping it off.
Ecocycle
22 Christie Street, St Marys, 2760. Phone: (02) 9833 4155. No fees apply.
Liverpool Community Recycling Centre
99 Rose Street, Liverpool, NSW. Phone: 1300 362 170.
Randwick Community Recycling Centre
72 Perry Street, Matraville, NSW.
Newcastle Museum
6 Workshop Way, Newcastle, 2300. Residential quantities only. No fees apply. Phone: (02) 4974 1400.
Northern Sydney Community Recycling Centre
8 Waltham Street, Artarmon, 2064. Phone: (02) 9936 8100.
Willing & Able Foundation
39 Jindalee Road, Port Macquarie, 2444. NGO supporting people with disabilities. Phone: (02) 6581 0939.
Sutherland Hospital X-Ray Dept
430 Kingsway, Caringbah, 2229. Phone: (02) 9540 7111.
Capital Destruction Services
1/24 Chapman St, Queanbeyan, 2620. Phone: (02) 6156 2258.
How to recycle x-rays
Some organisations have recycling collection points for x-rays. Use the directory on this page to see if there is a recycling drop-off point in your area.
Here are some other options:
- Contact your council to see if they have a recycling drop-off point in your area. Many councils accept x-rays at recycling stations at libraries and community recycling centres.
- Contact the radiologist, hospital or x-ray facility that you got it from to see if they accept old x-rays.
- I-MED Radiology clinics accept x-rays from any medical imaging procedure for recycling. To find a clinic near you, visit the I-MED Radiology Network website. Always call ahead to check if it will be accepted before dropping it off.
- If you cannot find a recycling option for your x-ray, you can put it in your garbage bin.
Why should I recycle my x-ray?
X-ray films contain silver in the form of halides, which can be extracted and converted into pure silver.
Silver is a critical component of a range of technologies, especially medical and electrical. Due to the demand, silver is still regularly sourced through mining. Extracting the silver from old x-rays and recycling it reduces the demand for new resources to be extracted from the earth.
What happens to the x-ray when I recycle it?
X-ray films that have been collected for recycling are processed in a refinery to extract the silver. The x-ray films are heated using temperatures of over 1,000 degrees celsius. The silver is extracted and converted into a more pure silver form so it can be used to make new products such as silver solder, jewellery, the silver plating of utensils, electrical components and film manufacture.
