Smart recyclers give a toss

NEW research from Planet Ark has found more than half of Australians don’t know what can or can’t be recycled in kerbside bins.
The statistics come as Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week kicks off on 10 November.
National Recycling Week highlights the environmental benefits of re-use and recycling programs, while educating the community on how to recycle.
Understanding which items can be recycled at the kerbside is the first step in starting successful recycling habits.
According to the research, released as The Seven Secrets of Successful Recyclers, only 34 per cent of Australians know empty aerosol cans are recyclable.
Planet Ark’s head of campaigns Brad Gray said it was surprising so many people didn’t know aerosol cans could be recycled.
“In fact, they are made from fully recyclable steel or aluminium,” he said.
“Even though many people use aerosols every day for products like deodorants they still hold on to old ideas. The research shows people report having been told to keep aerosol cans out of the recycling, which is a hangover from the past. Once they are empty it is perfectly safe to put them in the recycling.”
The survey also showed 26 per cent of people sometimes or always put their recycling in a plastic bag, then into the bin.
Planet Ark said this is a no-no as items contained within plastic bags end up being sent to landfill as the systems in the sorting facility can’t separate the various materials and the bags clog the machines.
The report found the seven secrets of successful recyclers are: know the facts, don’t bag it, do it in the bathroom, do it in public, take it to work, think outside the bin, and buy it back.
To find out more or to check what you can recycle, visit the RecyclingWeek.PlanetArk.org website or call the National Recycling Hotline on 1300 733 712.