The recycling revolution
THE FIRST OF January 2018 was a wake-up call for many Australians. For more than a decade we’d exported millions of tonnes of glass containers, drink cans, cardboard and other recyclable waste to Asia. But that was the day when China, one of the biggest recipients of our rubbish, said no more.
The decision created a huge dilemma for many Australian councils. Domestic recycling facilities quickly became overwhelmed and recycling began to be stockpiled in warehouses or dumped into landfill, leaving many people disillusioned and wondering whether their careful sorting and collecting of waste had all been for nothing.
So is recycling really just a massive waste of time? There’s certainly no guarantee that what you currently separate out will actually be recycled. But innovative new projects are looking at ways to fix our throwaway culture and turn recyclables, such as plastics and paper, into everything from railway sleepers to children’s playgrounds. Waste is even being converted to energy to power our homes.
THE STORY OF what happens to your recycling is not simple. On average, each Australian is responsible for about 2.7 tonnes of waste a year, the weight of a small elephant. Typically, about 60 per cent of household waste is separated for recycling.
After it’s taken from your home, it goes to a sorting facility where contaminants are removed, such as plastic bags or paper labels from glass jars and bottles. The sorted
