The Business of Recycling in Tasmania

Published on 12 November 2019

Learn more about the real business of recycling in Tasmania in this guide, created to mark National Recycling Week 2019.

National Recycling Week is taking place from 11 – 17 November; a Planet Ark event aimed at helping us all to recycle right.

With the growing amount of recyclable material in circulation and recent media reports of a few unscrupulous recycling operators, it’s important for all of us to lift the lid on the business of recycling in Tasmania and get the facts straight.

Avoiding waste, reducing the amount of waste produced, and re-using or re-purposing old or unwanted items should always be chosen ahead of recycling.  Until significant changes are made to manufacturing practices and retail systems, either through legislation or industry-led initiatives, there currently is a large volume of recyclable material already in our homes, workplaces and schools that needs to be responsibly managed.

There are environmental, social and economic reasons for recycling. Recycling re-uses materials and reduces the need to extract more of the Earth’s finite resources such as oil, metals and sand. Recycling also extends the life of materials and reduces the volume of waste going to landfill.

Recyclable materials are a commodity and have a financial value too – they are bought and sold in a global market for use by manufacturers across the world.

Tasmania’s three regional Waste Management Groups – Cradle Coast Waste Services, Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group and Waste Strategy South – have spoken to their member local councils, Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) and other recycling and waste specialists across Tasmania and Australia to find answers to some of the big recycling questions, including:

Learn about the real business of recycling in Tasmania in this guide, created for National Recycling Week 2019.