7 Secrets of Successful Recyclers

Do you get confused by what you can and can’t recycle? A report from Planet Ark, titled “The Seven Secrets of Successful Recyclers” addresses the four materials that most confuse people and the common mistakes made. Surprisingly, 50% of people surveyed got at least one item wrong when asked if it is recyclable. For example, only 34% of Australians know that empty aerosol cans are recyclable in their kerbside bins. Did you know that? One of the top explanations given for not recycling aerosols was a mistaken belief that they will explode in the recycling.

“It’s surprising that more than half of Australians wrongly believe that aerosol cans can’t be recycled,” said Planet Ark’s Head of Campaigns, Brad Gray. “In fact, they are made from fully recyclable steel or aluminium. Even though many people use aerosols everyday 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 shows that 26% of people sometimes or always put their recycling in a plastic bag, then into the bin. However, items contained within the 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. Recycling must be loose in the recycling bin to be sorted effectively.
Planet Ark’s theme for National Recycling Week 2018 is From Waste War to Recycling Reboot and will explore the impact of the War on Waste and China’s waste policies on Australia, the opportunities and positive waste stories emerging and the tools making it easier for you to reboot recycling.

The Seven Secrets of Successful Recyclers are:

1) Know the facts;
2) Don’t bag it;
3) Do it in the bathroom;
4) Do it in public;
5) Take it to work;
6) Think outside the bin; and
7) Buy it back.
You can find local recycling options on the Planet Ark’s RecyclingNearYou.com.au website – a service which provides reuse, recycling and safe disposal information for a wide range of different materials.
Visit RecyclingWeek.PlanetArk.org website or call the National Recycling Hotline on 1300 733 712 for further information about any of Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week initiatives.