In 2018, China stated that it would no longer accept imports of recyclables that contained more than 0.5% contamination levels. It has sent the Australian government into a frenzy trying to come up with alternatives to help manage recyclable waste better. While there will be regulatory changes at the policy level, households have a significant role to play. Unfortunately, most families continue to make mistakes that see recyclable waste ending up in landfills or stockpiles. It is evident from the fact that about two-thirds of Australians believe that their recyclable household waste ends up at the landfill. This article highlights ways you can ensure that recyclable waste from your house is recycled.
Use Recycling Bins Exclusively for Recyclables
Garbage removal companies offer households with recycling bins for recyclable items. Although these bins are exclusively meant for recyclables, some families do not seem to mind using the containers for other purposes. Therefore, it is common for recycling companies to come across recycle bins with contaminants such as a car battery or a plastic bag. It is wrong because once a garbage truck empties its load onto the conveyor belt at the material recovery facility, sorting begins. If there are traces of contaminants, then the entire haul load can be deemed unrecyclable even if the contaminated recyclables came from the same household. Therefore, ensure that you use recycling bins for recyclables and garbage bin for other wastes.
Clean Food Packages
How many times do you rinse out a container before throwing it into the bin? Probably not often. It can be attributed to the fact that few people know that food and food residues are considered contaminants by recycling plants. Therefore, the milk at the bottom of the milk carton can reduce the quality of recycled products. Consequently, you must ensure that you rinse every recyclable item that has any food residues. For instance, if you order food from a restaurant and it comes in a plastic container, rinse the packaging first before throwing it into the bin. Do this to every other recyclable item.
Check Recycling Symbol
Just because plastics and paper are recyclable material does not mean that you should toss every plastic or paper item you come across into a recycle bin. The reason is that while some materials are recyclable, they might not be when used on specific items. For example, the thin plastic layer inside a takeaway coffee cups might seem like the most recyclable item, but in the real sense, it is not. Therefore, before you throw any object into a recycle bin, ensure that there is a recycling symbol on it.
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