Recycling Tips for Consumers                                                                                             

Globally, the focus on recycling has never been greater. As this focus on recycling has increased, it has become increasingly apparent that producers and consumers of disposable products need to take responsibility for the things that we don't want or need any more.

For many years we have known that disposing of waste to landfill will not be sustainable in the long-term and, as a society, we must be looking at ways to better manage how we deal with waste.

As part of the global community our ultimate aim should be to minimise waste to landfill by preventing the creation of waste and recovering reusable resources by recycling waste into a usable commodity.

Improving recycling in Australia will not only reduce our carbon footprint, but reduce the dependence we have on non renewable resources.

Why should we recycle? Click here and find out....

Click here to find out what can you do today to start making a difference!

 FAST FACTS                                                                        

• Recycling a full 240L Paper & Cardboard bin every fortnight for a year is equal to watching an Average Plasma TV for 258 hours*1
• By recycling one tonne of paper you save 13 trees, 2.5 barrels of oil, 4100kWh of electricity, 4 cubic metres of landfill and 31,780 litres of water*2
• In 2007 Australian's recycled over two billion newspapers, making us the best newspaper recyclers in the world*3
• Australia produces over 3.3 million tonnes of packaging each year*4
• Australians use 3.92 billion plastic bags a year and dump 429,000 into landfills every minute*5
• Australians are the highest users of water in the world*6
• Annually, Australian's throw away 3.3 million tonnes of food waste*7
• Home composting can divert an average of 300kg of household material per year from the general waste stream*8
• A typical Australian household recycling 3.76 kilograms / week (net) avoids 106 kilograms of CO2eq each year*9
• Recycling a full 240L commingled bin every fortnight for a year is equal to running a 60W light bulb for 104 hours*10
• 17.5 million steel cans are recycled each week - equal to the amount of steel in 900 family cars*11
• Annually, the world generates about 400 million tonnes of PC's, cathode-ray tube (CRT) screens, fax machines, game consoles, mobile phones and other e-waste items*12
• In 2006, Australian's disposed of 1.6 million computers straight to landfill*13
• One tonne of mobile phone circuit boards can contain about the same amount of precious metals as 110 tonnes of gold ore, 123 tonnes silver-bearing ore and 11 tonnes of copper sulphide ore*14
• E-waste can contain toxic materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and brominated fire retardants that are hazardous, and if not disposed of correctly can be environmentally damaging*15

Recycling per Capita - June 2008 (kg)*16

 *1  "Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Co-mingled Household Recyclables", Hyder Consulting, May 2007

*2  City of Melbourne, Recycling Facts & Figures www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

*3  Tips on how to recyle better www.recyclingnearyou.com.au

*4  "Packaging Waste in Australia; an overview", Boomerang Alliance

*5  Plastic Bag Facts, www.cleanup.com.au

*6  It's a Living Thing, www.livingthing.net.au

*7  It's a Living Thing, www.livingthing.net.au

*8  "Composting Organic Waste" www.cleanup.com.au

*9  "Benefits of Recycling", Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW), May 2005

*10 "Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Co-mingled Household Recyclables", Hyder Consulting, May 2007

*11 Herald Sun, 3.6.08 "Hey That's Not Rubbish"

*12 "Recycling e-waste: The Sky Is The Limit" IT PRO January/February 2008

*13 "Greensaver: recycle your e-waste and save" Money Magazine, May 2008  

*14 Herald Sun, 3.6.08 "Hey that's not rubbish"

*15 "Electronics Equipment & Consumables" waste fact sheet www.cleanup.com.au

*16 "We're a State of little waste", Adelaide Advertiser, 16.6.08

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