The other day I went to a recycling info presentation. So many people are confused with what they can and can’t recycle so I made a little list/guide that you can stick near/on your recycling bin, or keep on your phone to check!
You can view and download it here: WA recycling guide
Please note: what you can and can’t recycle will vary from council to council, so it is best to double check this with the council you live in.
Useful websites:
http://www.recycleright.wa.gov.au – Most of the information for this guide was gathered from this website.
http://www.terracycle.com – you can order a box from them to recycle the hard to recycle stuff – like shampoo bottles and beauty products (for free) and you can buy a box for the harder to recycle things – like cigarette butts or latex gloves! Some boxes are free to order and some need to be purchased.
www.REDcycle.net.au/what-to-redcycle – For soft plastics. Find out what plastics you can put in the REDcycle and the nearest REDcycle bin to you.
More interesting info:
– Do not bag your recycling – it needs to be loose! If your recycling is in a bag, they simply remove the bag from the collection and send it to landfill (plastic bags are soo 2017/18 anyway).
– Aluminium is one of the easiest and most recycled items in W.A. Glass is not recycled but is crushed up and used in roads/paving! Woohoo.
-Even though cans from canned goods (i.e. chickpeas) have a small layer of plastic in them, they can still be recycled. Unlike T/A coffee cups – they can’t!
– Everything needs to be cleaned well before recycling.
-The numbers on plastics don’t mean they can be recycled. These numbers are just an indication of what grade of plastic the product is made from. Confusing, I know. Check whether you can recycle them.
Basically, the only plastic that should be going into your recycling bin at home is big (bigger than your palm) and hard plastics – think milk/juice bottles (without the bottle tops).
I hope this is helpful. I’ll update this post as I find out more info so watch this space 🙂
xx
Neli
view/download the guide here: WA recycling guide
