Did you know that Australia sends 1.9 million tonnes of paper to landfill annually? Each year Australian’s use over 3 billion aluminium cans and 8 million tonnes of plastic leak into our oceans, that is equivalent to dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute. Making an effort to recycle can play a huge role in counteracting this environmental damage. In fact, Australia plays a lead role as a recycling nation and has one of the best paper and cardboard recycling rates globally.
Starting Monday 11 November is National Recycling Week!
Planet Ark has been running this campaign for 24 years, with aims to create a focus on the major environmental benefits of recycling and to educate broader communities, hoping to spark change towards more sustainable environmental behaviours.
Get involved now! Here are some tips and tricks to help you get involved in National Recycling Week and to further your sustainability journey.
1. Find the facts
This tip is relatively easy and aims to create an awareness for the processes of recycling, how this contributes to sustainability and reduces environmental damage. Start off small and aim to gain a better understanding for the importance of recycling. This can be achieved through many avenues, however to make this simple, here’s a link that highlights some interesting facts about paper, aluminium, plastic,
glass, e-waste and organic waste recycling: Suez recycling fact sheets
2. Recycle right
Recycling may seem a little complicated when trying to figure out exactly what can and can’t be recycled however, once you’ve gained this valuable information it takes minimal effort to incorporate recycling into your daily lives. Expand your knowledge, including where you can recycle items that might not be eligible for council recycling. You’ll then be quip to help combat issues of waste and environmental damage, and further your sustainability contributions! Here are some useful links:
Which Bin SA
Planet Ark – 8 things you didn’t know you could recycle
Planet Ark – Materials
3. Come to our clothes swap party… or host your own
With the current fashion industry being primarily based on consumerism, clothing is becoming increasingly accessible. With more and more clothing being produced annually this fast fashion contributes significantly to carbon emissions through processes of
production and transportation. As most of it ends up in landfill, it also adds to the current pollution crisis. In spirit of celebrating National Recycling Week, The Adelaide Sustainability Centre is hosting a Clothes Swap Party on Friday the 15th of November.
Find out more and register here.
Or host your own clothes swap and enjoy fashion – sustainably! Check out these tips for how to host a successful clothes swap party.
4. Get your workplace involved
If your workplace has not yet transitioned towards a more sustainable business, now is the time to encourage recycling wherever possible. Offices accumulate many different recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, printer cartridges, e-waste and even
aluminium capsules from the coffee machine. A great way to encourage recycling is to set up an office recycling station. National Recycling Week is a great time to set aside an afternoon to clean out the filing system, create more space, declutter and recycle all old files that no longer serve useful. Here are some links with useful information about how to get your office involved:
Planet Ark – how to get your workplace involved
Sustainable Business Toolkit – Top 7 recycling tips that will obliterate your waste cost
5. Share the message
In recent years, social media has played a significant role in opening up conversations surrounding sustainability, environmental awareness and corporate social responsibility. This has created greater engagement, transparency and a collective
space to tackling environmental issues. To celebrate National Recycling Week and your progress towards greater sustainability, share your efforts through social media to create a positive conversation and to encourage others to join.
Use the hashtag #nationalrecyclingweek to follow along and celebrate with others.
Happy National Recycling Week!
Article by Ilyth Burton
