Rethink your recycling routine

Residents do a great job recycling in their kitchen, but don’t often realise what’s recyclable in their bathroom or other rooms of the house.

National Recycling Week, on from 9-15 November, is a great time to start recycling more.

About 20% of household garbage buried in landfill is valuable plastics, aluminium, steel and paper that can be recycled from home and made into new products, reducing greenhouse gases and saving resources. So look again at your containers and packaging from your bathroom, laundry and home office and see what more you can recycle.

A few simple changes can make a big difference.

1. Put a recycling bin next to each garbage bin in your home
2. If no room for this, separate your recyclable items from your rubbish before you put it in the garbage
3. Don’t forget to recycle items from your bathroom, laundry and garage
4. Use a tub or basket to transport your recyclables to your wheelie bin instead of plastic bags – recyclables in a plastic bag will not be recycled
5. Recycle in the garden by composting your food scraps, leaves and garden trimmings – visit kimbriki.com.au to attend a workshop and get you started
6. When you go shopping, see what an item is made from and packaged in. Try to buy items that have recycled content or that can be recycled. Each person throws away around 200kg of packaging each year
7. Plastic bags, cling film and plastic wrap cannot be recycled in your home recycling bin – but you can take them back to your supermarket for recycling
8. Look at ways to reduce your food waste: plan meals, write a shopping list, check use by dates, use leftovers and store food correctly are just a few
9. Scrape out the food scraps and other contents from containers
10. Visit our A to Z waste disposal guide to find out more