Steplight

Household recycling has been a common practice since the introduction of kerbside recycling schemes in the 80’s and 90’s. Planet Ark’s National Recycling week (November 7th – 13th) is a good chance to revisit some fast facts on how, what and why we should be recycling.

Plastics

Most plastics are not biodegradable so if they end up in landfill, or worse, in our natural environment, they will persist for many years. Not all plastics are recyclable either. Those that are can be identified by a number inside a triangle of arrows that is stamped somewhere on the product. Lids should be removed because they are usually made from different plastic and need to be separated for sorting. If you are not sure what is recyclable and what isn’t, check with your local council. Here are the various symbols used for recyclable plastics.

Paper and cardboard

Paper and cardboard are some of the most widely used consumer materials so it is important to recycle as much of it as possible if we are to reduce waste. Using recycled paper and cardboard to make new products not only saves trees, it uses up to 99% less water, 50% less energy and produces 90% fewer by-products (toxic chemical waste, for example). Almost all paper and cardboard can be recycled including writing paper, packaging, envelopes with and without plastic windows, telephone books, magazine, cereal boxes, cardboard packaging, toilet rolls and Manilla folders. Some councils also allow pizza boxes (check with your local council first and don’t forget to remove food chunks). A common non-recyclable is wax-coated cardboard e.g. some fruit boxes.

Glass

Glass is infinitely recyclable and a lot of energy has gone into its production so it is a waste to have it sitting in landfill. In Australia, most glass products contain a substantial proportion of recycled glass, so your used containers can be easily re-used. Using recycled glass to produce new glass uses 75% less energy as it lowers the required production temperature.

Like other recyclables, it’s important to recycle glass correctly to maintain environmental and economic effectiveness by avoiding contamination. For example, heat treated glass can contaminate recyclable glass. Examples of heat treated glass are drink ware, ceramics, window glass and Pyrex. All contaminated batches or recycled glass are sent to landfill, so it is important to separate glass products properly before recycling. You can recycle all glass jars and glass bottles but make sure you remove lids and caps. You should scrape out large food scraps but the label can be left on. Broken glass is not recyclable, so to dispose of it properly, wrap it in some newspaper and throw it in the regular bin.

Aluminium

Aluminium is not found in its metallic state in nature – it must be manufactured from another metal using a complicated and very high-energy process. Like glass, aluminium does not degrade through the recycling process, which means it can continually be recycled. The energy costs of recycling are far less than the energy costs of producing new aluminium. Aluminium drinking cans, foil and food trays are can usually be recycled by your local council, although it is always a good idea to check. Recycled aluminium is used for vehicle parts, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, wire and many other things. Aluminium drinking are usually recycled into aluminium sheets for new drinking cans.

To find your council’s recycling requirements and you nearest drop points for non-kerbside items visit the Recycling Near You website.