Some plastic sent overseas for recycling ends up as pollution, or goes up in toxic smoke. But there are steps we can take to ensure our waste is processed as intended.
The federal government today announced $1 billion plan to divert more than ten million tonnes of waste from landfill. But waste management is about more than just recycling.
An inconclusive COAG meeting comes after years of inquiries, announcements, initiatives, investigations and reviews. Australia is no closer to actually tackling our waste problems.
A new grocery delivery service offers a new way to think about low-waste shopping.
RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/AAP
A new business is skipping recycling in favour of returning, washing and reusing sturdy containers for common groceries.
A woman sorts plastic bottles at a workshop in Hanoi. The world is being overwhelmed by plastic waste, and companies should do more to address it.
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Australia’s recycling woes belong to everyone, from households to government to business. It’s time to stop pointing fingers and get to work on a solution.
Indonesia is not the only country to turn back contaminated waste.
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Australia urgently needs to prepare for a coming tsunami of solar panel and battery waste.
Easter eggs with coloured foil might look pretty at Easter, but it can contaminate your recycling if it’s not dealt with correctly.
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Ben Madden, University of Technology Sydney and Nick Florin, University of Technology Sydney
Too much recyclable packaging is still finding its way into landfill - and plastic is the biggest culprit, with two-thirds going unrecovered, according to a new analysis.
A major Victorian company has had to stop accepting recycling.
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Since China stopped accepting Australia’s recyclable plastic, the majority of exported plastic waste is now going to developing nations in South East Asia.
The proposed policy doesn’t quite fit all the pieces together.
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This year’s recycling crisis has prompted the federal government to pledge a move towards an economy in which materials are kept in use for as long as possible. But it still has a long way to go.
You might know expanded polystyrene as packing foam, but it’s a nightmare to recycle. Why not just turn it into something useful (or beautiful) instead?
Plastic can only be recycled a few times before it becomes useless. But even non-recyclable plastic can be used to help produce petrol and diesel. Could this process help overcome the recycling crisis?
Sydney’s experience suggests that having separate bins for paper and bottles leads to better recycling.
AAP Image/Tracy Nearmy
Both short- and long-term solutions are needed to solve Australia’s recycling crisis. State and federal ministers are pursuing some promising avenues, but they need to cast the net much wider.
These are already 100% recyclable - the trick is to actually recycle them.
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Under a new target, 100% of Australian packaging will be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. But this is not enough - we also need to ensure that recyclable materials are actually recycled.