But in the outback town of Katherine, that is exactly the case.

All of our rubbish goes into one big, green bin.

On the recycling front, Katherine falls far behind other municipalities.

Some residents even separate their recycling, and take their items on occasional visits to Darwin to deposit them in friend's yellow bins.

However, some in this community have been encouraged to think outside the box.

Over the weekend, it seemed almost the whole town turned up to the annual Junk Arts Festival.

They were there to see the rubbish ingeniously repurposed into sustainable treasure.

From a hat made of used tea bags and cups, a telescope fashioned from a washing machine drum to a wind chime of used food cans, collectively the almost 50 sculptures saved a small mountain of waste from being dumped.

The festival, now in its seventh year, is about getting people to think differently about waste, reducing what they use and saving the planet, organiser and Katherine Regional Arts executive officer Jacinta Mooney said.

There are limitations to recycling, with countries Australia previously sending waste to, now refusing to take it on.

But the small organisation, Katherine Regional Arts, which started the event is thinking big picture.

"It is incredibly important to reduce," Mrs Mooney said.

"We are an arts organisation and we feel that every business, every organisation needs to be thinking about how they can reduce carbon emissions.

"Everywhere needs a climate policy, because it is the biggest issue we face right now."

The Junk Arts Festival has grown exponentially year on year; from attracting just 40 people in its first year, the festival saw more than 800 people stream through the gates this weekend.

As people meandered from sculpture to sculpture, there was one stand out, a pirate ship made out of old car parts and shade cloth, which took home the winning prize in the welded category.

Katherine mechanic, Patrick Bauer, 39, could fill a skip bin yearly with the short-lived parts he takes from cars in his line of work.

While the metal could be recycled in Darwin, the time and petrol it takes to drive it there exceeds the benefit.

He said his sculptures use up just a little bit of the rubbish piling and rotting away in his yard.

"We are a throw away society," he said.

"We might not be making a huge impact to reducing landfill with our sculptures, but I think it is more about awareness."

Environmentally conscious even before he started making junk sculptures, he said the festival brings environmental issues to the forefront.

"You see a lot of entries have been about PFAS and fracking over the years.

"The festival really draws out that group of people who care and want to make a difference."

For the third year running, the festival was carbon neutral.

Free water was served in mugs rather then plastic bottles, signs were made on old cardboard, and the children's play area was build solely from packing boxes which would have otherwise gone straight to landfill.

Supporting the Jawoyn Association, the festival contributed seven tonnes of carbon credits to the rangers' savannah burning projects to offset carbon emissions.

Late last year, Katherine Town Council set its own challenge to reduce waste in the town.

The #ZeroWaste challenge aimed to prevent waste, rather than to recycle it.

Despite the desire for kerbside recycling, voiced by community members, KTC Corporate and Community Development executive manager Rosemary Jennings said Katherine's remote location and the changes in the recycling market make the implementation of kerbside recycling a difficult process.

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