The community is encouraged to waste less, reuse more and recycle right as the spotlight turns to our rubbish habits during National Recycling Week.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s group manager environmental services Maria Dohery said even the smallest of measures could make a big difference to the environment.
Ms Doherty said there was so much to learn and know about waste.
Taking the time to learn about what happens to your recycling after it reaches the bin is a key theme of this year’s National Recycling Week which runs until November 18.
Small steps, from using your green bin for food scraps to reducing the amount of contaminated waste in your yellow bin, can deliver big results for the community.
There has been an increase in food waste in green bins since the introduction of kitchen food waste bins and compostable cornstarch bags.
Ms Doherty stressed the importance of being aware of recycling with the council’s A-Z guide of what goes in which bin providing a practical guide.
The council’s video below shows the sorting of recycling:
Council’s waste projects officer Nicky Julian encouraged people to waste less and recycle right.
Common mistakes include putting soft plastics in recycle bins or placing recycling in a plastic bag.
If you have any questions about recycling, now is the time to ask them.
Council staff members will be on hand at shopping centres during National Recycling Week to answer recycling questions.
The team will be at Wauchope IGA from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Wednesday, Lake Cathie Shopping Centre from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on Wednesday and Settlement City Shopping Centre from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Thursday.
Council director Melissa Watkins said the council would continue to focus on wasting less and reusing more and encouraged everyone to do the same.
“The Organic Resource Recovery Facility at Cairncross processes over 20,000 tonnes of organic material each year into rich, nutrient-filled compost that can be purchased by our community for use at home,” Ms Watkins said.
“We’ve recently used this recycled material to top dress some of our region’s sports fields, reserves and parks with most of the material sourced directly from organic waste disposed of in household green bins.”
Ms Watkins said the council also used innovative products like recycled glass sand when laying stormwater pipes and it regularly reused old milled road surfaces to upgrade the region’s sealed road network, saving on costs for the community and preventing tonnes of asphalt from going to landfill each year.
The local government sector has called for a statewide approach to collect, process and reuse recyclable material in NSW.
The Save Our Recycling Campaign, launched at the NSW Local Government Conference, seeks for the state government to reinvest the entire $727 million it collects from the waste levy each year in waste management and recycling.
The waste levy cost Port Macquarie-Hastings Council about $4.5 million last financial year.
People can pledge their support for the campaign at the Save our Recycling website.
Meanwhile, go to the council’s website to learn more about practical ways you can recycle at home.