AUSTRALIANS are generally quite passionate about the environment and recycling and for the most part, want to do the right thing.
One area of concern is the information placed on packaging materials to clearly indicate if it can be recycled.
Rebecca Gilling, Planet Ark deputy CEO, said, “We need to have consistent labelling on that packaging that truly reflects Australia’s recycling infrastructure. The second step is to educate Australians to look for the Australasian Recycling Label when they are at the bin, which will help them recycle right, reduce contamination in our recycling streams and keep recyclable materials in circulation.”
Check It! Before You Chuck It, is a new campaign to educate Australians about sustainable packaging and inspire positive recycling behaviour. The campaign calls on all Australians to check the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) every time they are at the bin so that they recycle their packaging right.
Trevor Evans MP, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management said, “One of the best practical things we can do to help the environment is to recycle correctly. This new recycling campaign, funded by the Federal Government, is a fantastic reminder to always be mindful of recycling correctly by looking for the packaging label before chucking things in the bin. Recycling correctly reduces the amount of waste going to landfill and enables new products to be made and re-used again and again.”
In an audit on waste in Greater Shepparton, the garbage bin audit showed 29 percent was correctly sorted and 71 percent was recyclable or food and garden organics (with 39 percent of packaging contaminated by food). Correspondingly, the audit on the recycled bin showed 87 percent was correctly sorted, 12 percent was contaminated and 1 percent was organic material.
