Plastic cops a bagging

COUNCIL is calling for better recycling and more of it, as they launch the Towards Zero Waste campaign.
Taking recyclable rubbish out of the general rubbish bin is the main message from council as they launch the TZW campaign to coincide with National Recycling Week from 9 to 14 November.
In keeping with the community jury’s recommendations, the first phase of the campaign is about New Life, Not Landfill, calling on residents to be mindful when separating their rubbish.
To help educate residents on what can and can’t be recycled, council staff will be at National Recycling Week pop-up stalls through supermarkets across the shire, ready to answer questions.
Magazines, aerosol cans, plastic food trays and clean pizza boxes are just some of the items that can now go into the recycle bin in addition to tin and aluminium cans, plastic bottles, cardboard and newspapers.
Council’s waste and environmental health manager Wayne Schafer said a recent bin audit revealed 20 per cent of rubbish in Noosa’s general (red or dark green lid) rubbish bins, could be recycled into something new and should be in the yellow lid recycle bin.
“Council estimates more than 2000 tonnes of recyclable items are going to landfill each year completely unnecessarily,” he said.
“The audit also showed on average, five plastic bags are in every recycle bin. Plastic bags contaminate the recycle bin because they cannot be recycled and create major problems at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
“Plastic bags definitely belong in the red lid (or dark green lid) bin or back at the supermarket, and not in the recycling bin.”
According to the latest audit data, Noosa residents currently divert 17 per cent of rubbish from landfill by recycling.
Council has established a target of 22 per cent by end 2016 and is asking residents to please do their bit by recycling more, doing it better and keeping plastic bags out of the yellow lid bin.
To find out more about National Recycling week, please visit www.recyclingweek.planetark.org/ and to find out more about Council’s Towards Zero Waste campaign visit www.noosa.qld.gov.au/recycling-waste-services.