National Recycling Week a reminder to play our part across the Toowoomba Region
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Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week which begins today (Monday 11 November, 2024) is a reminder to everyone across the Toowoomba Region to play their part in reducing materials that end up in landfill.
That’s the message from Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Waste Services portfolio spokesperson Councillor Melissa Taylor who said this week’s National Recycling Week was aimed at reminding the community to think about ways every individual can contribute to positive recycling outcomes.
“We encourage everyone across the Region to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible to minimise the amount of material that ends up in our landfills.
“We have come such a long way as a community in the recycling space, but we can all look for further opportunities to ensure we think about what bin is best before we throw materials out.
“Approximately one fifth of materials (by weight) that are able to be recycled are currently going in the red lid bin.
“Don’t waste it, sort it, is a great tagline and one we should all aim to live by” Cr Taylor said.
“Last year, TRC received over 113,000 tonnes of materials through its kerbside collection and waste management facilities with over 41,000 tonnes recycled or diverted for reuse.
“These are big numbers but small simple steps around your household can make a big difference in the amount of material diverted away from our landfills, helping to reduce environmental footprint and saving money along the way,” Cr Taylor said.
“Council diverted 37 per cent of materials received through our kerbside collection and waste management facilities away from landfill and, with the community’s help, we’d love to push that figure closer to 50 per cent,” Cr Taylor said.
Key Recycling Tips for the yellow bin:
Keep It Simple - Only paper and cardboard, glass bottles and jars (clear, green and brown only), steel and aluminium cans and aerosols, aluminium foil trays or sheets and plastic bottles (no lids or caps) and containers from your kitchen, bathroom or laundry. Keep It Loose - Don’t bag or box your recyclable items. Keep It Clean - Give it a quick wipe or rinse. Minor residues of liquids, sauce or grease are ok, but chunks of food are not. Keep Out Soft Plastics - No plastic bags, packaging or wrapping. Keep Out Batteries, Building Materials, Chemicals and Other Hazardous Materials– These items can be recycled at your local waste management facility If in doubt … Go to www.tr.qld.gov.au/recycling or visit Recycle Mate to learn more about the materials you should be putting in your yellow lid bin or where you can recycle it.Further Background:
What is National Recycling Week?
Back since recycling bins were just a small black tub, Planet Ark has been helping Australians recycle right. National Recycling Week (NRW) is one of Planet Ark’s flagship campaigns and every year aims to educate and empower people to do the right thing when they’re at the bin.
Since the campaign was established in 1996, Planet Ark has held it every year during the second week of November. This year, NRW will be from 11 - 17 November, 2024.
Their education focuses on the waste hierarchy – reduce, reuse, recycle - to minimise strain on finite resources.
They connect with individuals, community groups, schools, businesses and government to provide them with the all the tools they need to help educate their network and run their own National Recycling Week events.