How to recycle your banner stand or pull-up banner

Don't put an old pull-up banner in the bin. Much of what you paid for is the stand itself, the base and the support pole, and a sound stand can take a new printed banner time and again. So the easiest way to recycle a banner stand is to keep it working.

When a stand really is finished, take it apart and recycle what you can, starting with the aluminium frame. Here's what we suggest, in order: reuse first, then recycle.

The easiest solution is to reuse it!

#1 - Have a new banner fitted to the stand you already own

If the stand still works and only the message is out of date, send it to us. We remove the old print, print your new artwork, fit it to your original cassette and send the stand back in a carry bag. It doesn't matter whether the stand came from us or from another supplier.

The price depends on the size of the banner, so tell us the size and we'll quote.

#2 - Send us the stands you no longer need

If you have stands sitting in a storeroom with no job to do, return them to us. Our technicians check and refurbish each stand, swap out any damaged parts, and it goes back into service with a brand new banner for another client.

#3 - Choose a recycled stand when you need more

Our recycled banner stand is refurbished hardware with a brand new printed banner, supplied in a carry bag. It starts from $154 excluding GST and freight. In most cases we hold 850mm, 1,000mm and 1,200mm widths in stock, and standard production takes one week from your order and print-ready artwork. The hardware (not the printed banner) has a 12-month warranty for the original owner, which doesn't cover misuse or normal wear and tear. Exact specifications depend on the hardware we have at the time of your order.

According to the federal government's national waste report, Australia generated 79.0 million tonnes of waste in 2024-25 and recycled 64.1% of it. A stand that stays in service stays out of that total.

Shopping centre stands that no longer have a home

Many Westfield centres no longer allow pull-up banners. If your shopping centre stands are now sitting in a storeroom, they can still work in a reception, at a conference or beside a sampling table. Have them fitted with a new banner for the new job, or send them back to us if you have no use for them.

How to recycle a banner stand that's finished

When a stand is beyond repair, recycle it in parts. A pull-up banner stand is a mix of materials: the printed banner, an aluminium frame and plastic end caps.

#1 - Check what your local recycler accepts

Recycling facilities have their own rules, so check what yours takes before you start. Planet Ark's RecyclingNearYou directory finds businesses nearby that accept materials to be reused or recycled, and you can search for home or for work. Its material list includes scrap aluminium.

#2 - Separate the parts

Take the banner off the frame, and remove the end caps and any other plastic parts.

#3 - Clean them

Wash off dirt and adhesive residue with mild soap and water.

#4 - Take each part to the right place

The aluminium frame goes to scrap metal recycling. The plastic parts and the banner depend on what your local recycler accepts, and the banner material makes a big difference (see below).

#5 - Pass on anything that still works

If a stand still works but you have no use for it, send it back to us (see above), or offer it to a school or community group that can use it at its events.

What about the banner itself?

Vinyl (PVC) banners

Banners made from PVC-coated polyester fabric are hard to recycle in Australia. The Vinyl Council of Australia lists banners among the common uses of this fabric, and says the mix of two plastics in it makes recycling difficult: "Currently in Australia, virtually all this material goes to landfill after years of service." Its TexBack project has trialled technology to separate the materials, but it is still a pilot and can't yet process commercial quantities.

The council's advice for end-of-use PVC:

• Ask the supplier first whether it takes back its own product for recycling.
• Then contact a PVC recycler. The council keeps a list of recyclers and the materials each one accepts.
• Expect volume rules. Recyclers want clean, regular volumes (over 500kg) of the same material, not small mixed lots.

A team clearing out one storeroom will rarely meet that test, so the practical answer for vinyl is to print less of it and keep each banner in use for longer.

Banner materials vary. The standard banners on our recycled stands, for example, are printed on PVC-free banner vinyl chosen to lie flat and keep glare low. Ask your supplier exactly what your banners are made of before you choose a recycling route.

Fabric graphics

Fabric displays separate the long-life frame from the message. On our SuperWall, the printed fabric slides over an aluminium frame and zips closed, so changing the message means swapping the fabric while the frame stays in service. Our fabric graphics can go in the washing machine on a cold cycle, so a graphic that is still current can be cleaned and used again rather than reprinted.

Some fabrics also start with recycled content. In our recycled polyester display range, graphics are printed on recycled polyester instead of standard print fabric, and the SuperWall expo set's graphic fabric is knitted from 85% recycled polyester made from recycled PET bottles. That figure applies to the fabric, not the frame. When a fabric graphic reaches the end of its life, search RecyclingNearYou for a textile recycler.

Rigid signs

Corflute (hollow-core polypropylene) signs with a message that doesn't date can go back into service at the next event, and at the end of their life, check whether your local plastics recycling takes them. Card can go into paper and cardboard recycling where your local service accepts it. Plan foam board as single use from the start. For anything mounted, laminated or glued, check with your waste contractor. Our guide to display materials compares the main options.

Keep recycling claims specific

If your team reports on event waste, or talks about it publicly, follow the ACCC's guidance on environmental and sustainability claims. The ACCC says claims should be true and accurate, backed by clear evidence, and recommends avoiding broad terms such as "green", "eco friendly" and "sustainable".

• "We had 12 banner stands fitted with new banners instead of buying new ones" is specific and checkable.
• "Our event was eco-friendly" is the kind of broad claim the ACCC warns against.
• Name the part a claim covers. Recycled fabric on a stand doesn't make the whole stand recycled.

Buying new? Plan for the end now

• Choose stands that take a replaceable banner. Every stand in our banner stand range does, from Premier stands to extra-wide pull-up banners, so one base can carry several campaigns.
• Keep long-life branding on the stand, and put dates and offers on items you can change cheaply.
• Ask about take-back before you buy.
• Keep materials separable. A frame and banner that come apart are easier to reuse or recycle than parts glued together.
• Keep a stand register, with each stand's size, location and condition, so a new campaign starts with a quote for a new banner rather than a new stand.

Have stands to refresh or return? Call us on 1300 240 250 or contact our team with the sizes and quantities, and we'll tell you what can be reused.