The third most preferred option on the Waste Management Hierarchy is ‘Recycling’. Recycling involves the collection of waste materials and processing these into new products – therefore keeping these items out of landfill. For recycling to be effective we must know how to recycle properly. While recycling is great and we are lucky to have defined systems in place in Australia, we should still view this as the third option after we have exhausted any avoidance or reuse strategies. The recycling process of many items often uses less energy than starting the whole manufacturing process from virgin sources –  but it does still use energy – something we can save if we ‘avoid’ or ‘reuse’. For waste products you cannot reuse here are some tips on how you can recycle properly and effectively. There are even some items that you may not be aware can be recycled… 10 tips on how to recycle properly 4. Did you know that some coffee pods can be recycled? Nespresso and Nescafé dolce gusto both offer recycling schemes  – check out the details along with other recycling programmes you might not be aware of through Terracycle.

Leumeah High School was among six local schools to receive grants of up to $1000 to develop an environmental project as part of the Schools for Sustainability program, a partnership between Campbelltown City Council and Western Sydney University. Schools for Sustainability was launched at a two-day forum in August 2016, providing students with the opportunity to explore global and local environmental issues through a series of engaging workshops. Through the forum, students were equipped with the knowledge and inspiration to develop a project idea that could be implemented within their school or the local community. Council is currently designing the 2017 Schools for Sustainability program that will again invite high schools to participate in a two-day forum. This year’s forum will see a range of sustainability pioneers inspire the students, including Tim Silverwood from Take 3, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Terracycle and the team of student engineers that designed and built WSU’s Solar Car ‘Unlimited’. 

Encouraging recycling  Consumers face a choice when they unwrap or finish a product: recycle or dispose. Australian consumers are generally good at recycling the basics - aluminium cans, glass and plastic bottles - but need prompting when it comes to other forms of packaging. TerraCycle, founded in the US in 2011, helps consumers recycle the difficult-to-recycle. It runs brand sponsored collection programs for different types of waste from chip bags to juice pouches. Brigades, comprising community groups, schools or individuals, collect packaging for a particular stream and TerraCycle uses innovative recycling and upcycling processes to keep waste from going to, well, waste. Since its launch, TerraCycle has grown to 21 countries including the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand. "The recycling programs are hugely successful," TerraCycle Australia & New Zealand PR and Marketing Manager Gemma Kaczerepa said. "There are currently 60 million people collecting for TerraCycle worldwide. Since 2006, we have diverted more than 3.7 billion units of waste from landfills and incinerators, and raised more than $15 million for charity. Further, there are now over 60 types of non-recyclable waste that can be recycling through our programs." Different programs are run in each country, depending on support of brands. In Australia some of the successful programs include:

• Beauty products recycling program with L'Oréal - more than 138,000 products (including shampoo and hairspray bottles, eye-shadow palettes and lipstick tubes) have been diverted from landfill since the program's launch in 2014
• Kids Pouch & Snack recycling program with Whole Kids - more than 20,000 products have been diverted from landfill since the program's launch in 2015
• Nescafé Dolce Gusto Capsule recycling program - more than 600,000 capsules have been diverted from landfill since the program's launch in 2014
• Oral Care recycling program with Colgate - more than 203,000 products have been diverted from landfill since the program's launch in 2014.

This program also features the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures oral care recycling contest - a nationwide recycling competition for primary schools primary schools offering a $1,000 prize and, in the latest round, a recycled park bench made of oral-care waste. Mz Kaczerepa says there are program taking place overseas that she'd like to see implemented in Australia, such as recycling programs for stationery, pet food and treat packaging, and contact lenses and blister packs. Internationally, TerraCycle also works with retailers to create in-store recycling promotions and awareness campaigns to communicate the recyclability of the brand's products. "This can include in-store competition whereby shoppers are encouraged to return products to enter the prize draw; in-store collections whereby customers can redeem their used products for a discount off new ones; and shelf-talkers and other marketing collateral to promote the brand and its recycling efforts," Mz Kaczerepa said. "We hope to launch a similar initiatives in Australia in 2017."

Have you ever found yourself facing your recycling bin, completely befuddled about whether or not you can put a particular item in it? You’re not alone. According to Planet Ark, nearly half of Australians find recycling confusing. The Conversation Australia’s recycling rules can seem horrendously complicated, but fortunately they are becoming more simple. What about things that can’t be recycled at home? Just because something can’t be recycled through kerbside collections, that doesn’t mean it can’t be recycled at all. New channels for recycling more complex items have been pioneered by organisations such as Planet Ark and TerraCycle, as well as by local councils, industry and government under schemes such as the Australian Packaging Covenant and the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. Free Terracycle recycling programs. Adapted from TerraCycle (http://www.terracycle.com.au) Recycling is vital to reducing resource use and waste to landfill, and so getting it right is crucial.

As more recycling programs pop up around the country it’s important to keep up to date.  So in the second part of this article we look at seven more items that most Australians could be recycling - but probably aren’t. See Part One of the article for the first seven items.

8. Light Globes - Light globes come in a few different types which differ in composition as well as means of disposal. Fluorescent tubes, compact fluoros (CFLs), HIDs and metal halides all contain mercury and need to be recycled through council, commercial or community programs that safely separate the different elements. Incandescent globes and halogens can be recycled through some of these programs or can simply be wrapped in paper and disposed of in the garbage bin. They are made from low value and non-toxic materials which makes recycling them very difficult.
9. Mailing Satchel - If your workplace uses lots of Australia Post mailing satchels you can sign up to the free Mailing Satchel Recycling Program run in conjunction with TerraCycle. Once you’ve signed up you just bag up your satchels, download a shipping label and post them off to be recycled.
10. Paint - Under the new PaintBack scheme 15 cents is added to the price of each litre of paint which is used to establish collection points and recycling processes for un-used paint. PaintBack locations are beginning to appear around the country. Many councils, state-run clean out programs and the Community Recycling Centres in NSW also collect paint. Find a site near you.
11. Ink and Toner Cartridges - Whether you use ink jet cartridges at home or toners at work recycling them is easy though 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark'. There are collection boxes in over 4,000 retail outlets and your workplace can apply for your own box. And better still it’s completely free to the user as the participating manufacturers – Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera - cover the costs.
12. Pizza Boxes - An increasing number of councils accept pizza boxes for recycling. They just need to be free of solid food and too much oil. If the base it too soiled, you can tear it off and dispose of it in the garbage bin and recycle the top.
13. Soft Plastics - You can drop your used soft plastics including bread, cereal, pasta, lolly and dry cleaning bags off at participating (metro) Coles and some Woolworths stores where REDcycle will recycle them into new products like furniture for schools. The basic rule is that if you can scrunch it you can recycle it. (Residents in some councils like those around Perth, plus Ballina, Lismore, and Moreland can recycle soft plastics in the council bin.) Make sure you follow council advice re soft plastic as it can cause problems if it ends up in the wrong system.
14. Toothpaste Tubes and Brushes - These are tricky and definitely can’t go in your home recycling bin but can be recycled though TerraCycle’s Oral Care Recycling Program. The program is ideal for workplaces or schools as it also operates as a fundraiser.

Leumeah High School was among six local schools to receive grants of up to $1,000 to develop an environmental project as part of the Schools for Sustainability program, a partnership between Campbelltown City Council and Western Sydney University. Schools for Sustainability was launched at a two day forum in August 2016. The idea is to provide students with the opportunity to explore global and local environmental issues through a series of engaging workshops. Through the forum, students were equipped with the knowledge and inspiration to develop a project idea that could be implemented within their school or the local community. Council is currently designing the 2017 Schools for Sustainability program that will again invite high schools to participate in a two day forum. This year’s forum will see a range of sustainability pioneers inspire the students, including Tim Silverwood from Take 3, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Terracycle and the team of student engineers that designed and built WSU’s Solar Car, Unlimited.

At a well-attended forum overlooking a beautiful Sydney harbour setting (despite the rainy weather), aerosol industry delegates from around the globe gathered to share insights and expertise on what lies ahead for this vibrant packaging sector, and how it will meet the challenge of staying relevant to today's consumer. After the scene was suitably set by Jackson and Lo Russo, a full day of presentations followed, including subjects as varied as recycling [Gemma Kaczerepa, TerraCycle], compressed gas and bi-compartmental aerosols [Paul Sullivan, DH Industries]; safety and quality [Richard Cooper, Emerson]; legislation [Alain D'Haese, European Aerosol Federation] and how technology advances can enhance the customer relationship [Ben Smith, Engagis].

Recycling company TerraCycle Australia is calling on businesses to expand their recycling options beyond the yellow-lidded bin. The US-based company has designed a Zero Waste Box solution that it says is easy-to-assemble and accepts various waste streams.

Have you ever found yourself facing your recycling bin, completely befuddled about whether or not you can put a particular item in it? You're not alone. According to Planet Ark, nearly half of Australians find recycling confusing.  Australia's recycling rules can seem horrendously complicated, but fortunately they are becoming more simple.

Have you ever found yourself facing your recycling bin, completely befuddled about whether or not you can put a particular item in it? You're not alone. According to Planet Ark, nearly half of Australians find recycling confusing.  Australia's recycling rules can seem horrendously complicated, but fortunately they are becoming more simple.