Rubbish and litter disposal

[icefest]

I think multi-layered plastics include coffee cups; they are often labelled in such a way to suggest they are biodegradable (eg "evironmentally sound") but sometimes that just means that some recylcled paper is in the mix.

Not sure exactly what you mean by multi-layered plastics, but plenty of plastic bags are recyclable in Australia. See
http://redcycle.net.au/redcycle/how-to-redcycle
for details of what and how.

Kinda.

Chip packets and pieces where the plastic types are mixed are not recyclable as the machines cannot separate them.

The "biodegradable" coffee cups are another thing. They do break down, but require a high heat to break down the biopolymer - don't try composting them at home.