Protect yourself from the unexpected

By Lisa Montgomery, Head of Consumer Advocacy

Most of us know what we can and cannot recycle – but are we putting in enough effort into doing it correctly? How many times have you placed an un-rinsed can or container into your recycle bin?

If contamination occurs at any stage, the whole load of recyclables may have to be sent to landfill.  In addition, many of your recyclables are sorted by hand, and in some council areas disabled persons occupy these roles. But no matter who is sorting, it is extremely unhygienic and unpleasant to handle dirty and mouldy containers.

Recycling has advanced and we can now remove a wider range of contaminants and can recycle more than just cans and paper.  Reducing waste means thinking about - and changing - our consumption and disposal behaviours.

What can you put in your recycling bin?

•Steel and aluminum cans including empty aerosol cans

•Newspaper

•Cardboard and envelopes (rip out the plastic window)

•Glossy paper (magazines and junk mail)

•Glass, bottles and jars (no lids but labels do not need to be removed)

•Cartons (such as milk, juice, custard, long-life products etc)

•Plastic containers (no lids) but not Styrofoam

•Any plastic bottle or container stamped on its base with a 1 through to 7 inside a chasing arrow symbol or the letter R

To recycle correctly:

- Sort everything, check and remove any contaminants – non-recyclables such as plastic bags, hangers, lids, straws, cigarette butts and crockery can ruin an entire curbside collection or waste transfer bin load

- Remove and dispose of all lids from jars, bottles and plastic containers (except steel tin lids)

- Rinse all cans bottles and plastic containers as necessary (save water by using leftover dishwater)

- Remove food scraps from items such as pizza boxes

- Crush or flatten boxes and bulky items to make more space

- Place all recyclables loose - do not bundle newspaper or cardboard or place items in plastic bags

- Squash or brick milk and juice cartons if you are able

Recycling really does make a difference. It saves valuable natural resources, saves landfill space and cuts down on energy use by reprocessing products instead of using virgin materials – let’s all make sure we are doing it properly.

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