19 June 2020

National Recycling Week is underway

| My Gungahlin
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The ACT Government is reminding Canberrans what can and can’t go in the yellow bin at home during National Recycling Week this week.

“National Recycling Week, an initiative of Planet Ark, encourages communities to actively recycle. Residents of the ACT continue to recycle well with most people filling up their yellow recycling bins and sorting correctly,” ACT NoWaste Director Michael Trushell said.

The kerbside recycling service at home is designed for paper and cardboard along with household packaging containers that are made of glass, firm plastic, aluminium and steel.

Containers should be empty, dry and placed loose in the yellow recycling bin, and not in a plastic bag.

“Plastic bags are the biggest problem in recycling bins as well as soft plastic packaging. Any plastic that can be easily scrunched into a ball like chip and lollie packets, for example, should not go in the recycling bin,” Mr Trushell said.

“Looking ahead, the introduction of a Container Deposit Scheme in 2018 will soon allow residents to return eligible beverage containers to designated drop-off points and receive a 10 cent refund. This will help engage the community in more recycling opportunities, reduce litter and further increase our resource recovery efforts.

“The community is welcome to contribute their thoughts on the Scheme by completing a survey at www.yoursay.act.gov.au which closes on 12 December 2017,” Mr Trushell said.

As well as kerbside recycling, there are other ways people can recycle. Mattress recycling through Soft Landing at Hume stops items going to landfill with almost 90 percent of mattress components recycled. Soft Landing will come and collect from $30.65 per mattress or they can be dropped off to Soft Landing from $24.

Also, re-use facilities like The Green Shed and charities such as www.GIVIT.org.au allow people to make donations of items they no longer need and that may be of benefit to other members of the community.

For a full list of what can and can’t go in the yellow recycling bin, and other recycling options visit the A-Z recycling guide at www.act.gov.au/recycling

To assist residents living in new areas of Molonglo during National Recycling Week, members of ACT NoWaste will be available to answer questions related to recycling and waste services at Cooleman Court on Wednesday, 15 November from 12 noon.

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