Want some good news? Australia’s recycling rate is on the rise! Still, Australia generates 67 million tonnes of waste, and individuals contribute around 700kg of that waste each year. According to a Cleanaway survey, 89% of Australians believe recycling is essential and 74% consider themselves to be good at recycling. Despite this outlook, some findings suggest that misunderstanding and a lack of information about recycling are jeopardising our efforts.
Many of us are unsure of what exactly we should recycle. 47% of Australians believe that soft plastics can go into the recycling bin; 26% are unaware that food containers need to be washed before being recycled, and 15% believe that anything can be thrown into the recycling bin and will get processed at the recycling facility.
The answer is education. The more you learn and get involved in recycling, reducing, and reusing, the less waste you will produce and the more money you can save. Reducing waste not only reduces landfill, it also benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering the demand for new resources.
Ways to Repurpose and Reuse Common Items
Packaging
Each year, Australia sells 5.4 million tonnes of packaging, and just 16% of it gets recycled, compared to 63% of paper and cardboard packaging.
This is what you can do to close the recycling loop:
- Saying no to the plastic bags supplied in stores; instead, bring your own bags
- Ziplock bags, plastic water bottles, ice cream, and yogurt containers can be rinsed and reused for storing food and drinks
- When you leave the house, always remember to carry your own shopping bag, water bottle, and coffee cup
- Buy in bulk to extend the life of containers and reuse them for refills where possible
- While buying shampoo, drinks, and detergent bottles check that the packaging is made from recycled materials
Electronics
Electronic waste is one of Australia’s fastest-growing waste streams, and when it is disposed of in landfills, valuable resources are wasted. Approximately 95% of elements recovered from e-waste are used to create new products.
This is what you can do to save valuable resources from getting wasted:
- Repair where possible and upgrade your software to extend the life of your equipment
- To play your part in the recycling cycle try selling, swapping, or donating your working devices, so none of that ends up in a landfill
- Invest in Energy Star Rated Appliances as they are not only environment-friendly but consume less electricity and save money on utility bills
Food
One of the easiest ways to push yourself to take action is to know how much food you throw away. Each year, Australia loses $36.6 billion due to food waste, and Australian’s waste over 7.6 million tonnes of food throughout the supply and consumption chains, equating to approximately 312kg per person.
How to reduce food waste:
- Redistributing food that would otherwise go to waste assists in feeding 1 in 5 Australians who do not have access to basic food
- By properly storing food, you can keep it fresher for longer, reducing the quantity of food (and money) you waste
- Did you know that digging through a container of fruits or vegetables until you find the one that looks perfect contributes to food waste? Choosing misshapen, slightly softened or wilted produce at the grocery store helps to reduce waste
- Composting leftover food is a great way to recycle food waste by converting it into energy for plants
- Understanding date labels – don’t throw away food based on the “expiration” dates as these are just indicators of when food will be at its peak quality
It is critical that we improve our recycling knowledge. Better understanding will help us all to develop better recycling behaviours, and build trust in recycling. Just by giving recycling, reusing, and reducing a little thought, and adjusting our daily habits accordingly, we can manage to generate less waste and do our bit to create a sustainable future.
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