Although, majority of Australian recognize the importance of recycling, many are “confused” as to what can and cannot be recycled says Pip Kiernan, chair of Clean up Australia.
“There was a recent study this year that found that 89% of us think it’s important, but only around 1 in 3 of us are getting it right when it comes to what we put in the recycling bin, so there is a room for improvement”
Putting the wrong items into the recycling bin or bagging them can "contaminate" the rest of the recyclables, sending the whole bin load to landfill instead.
Studies have shown that many people place items into the recycling bin, even when they are unsure if the item is recyclable.
This is called “wish-cycling” and is one of the major contributors to contamination.
It’s important to check with your local council about what can be recycled in your area, as rules around recycling not only differ between state and territories, but between council areas as well. This makes educating Australians across the country, quite challenging.
Your recyclables should not be bagged when placing them into the kerbside recycling bin. Source: Getty Images/RUBEN BONILLA GONZALO
Free online tools such as Greenius by Cleanaway, can provide clear bin instruction specific to your local area.
But a common rule that we should all follow, is to only put loose, clean, and dry recyclables into the kerbside recycling bin. Think of these recyclables as resources, which can be given a new life.
“Don’t put your recyclables into a plastic bag for instance. They need to go in cleaned and dry. If you think about a jar for instance, we need to take out any solid food from there or any liquids, separate the metal lid from the glass and put those items separately into the bin. If you think about cardboard, that needs to be clean and dry, so if greasy, they can’t go into recycling bin, it needs to go into general waste bin”
Reusing and repurposing, the way of the future Source: Getty Images/Su Arslanoglu
