Knowing what items can or can’t go in your recycling bin is about to get easier with the launch of the state-wide educational campaign ‘Let’s get it sorted’.
The six-week recycling campaign is a key part of the Department of Environment and Science’s education and behavioural change initiative aiming to simplify the topic and assist residents in making informed decisions when recycling at home.
Waste and Recycling portfolio spokesperson Cr Tanya McLoughlin said with 32,000 tonnes of waste collected annually in the Bundaberg Region via weekly kerbside waste services, Council was committed to diverting as much waste from landfill as possible.
“By recycling, we can significantly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill, which benefits both the environment and our community,” Cr McLoughlin said.
“Through the Queensland Government’s Let’s get it sorted campaign, we hope to increase our residents’ confidence around correctly sorting household waste and get people motivated to recycle more items, more often.
“Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste in landfill, creates jobs at our Material Recovery Facility and contributes to economic growth.
“Plus, it's great to see old materials transformed into new and valuable products.”
Let’s get it sorted:
- Keep it loose – don’t put your recycling into a plastic bag before it goes into your yellow lid bin.
- Make sorting simple – keep a separate basket in your kitchen or laundry for easy recycling.
- Hard plastics like shampoo bottles, ice cream tubs and milk bottles can be placed in your yellow lid bin.
- All empty aerosol cans, aluminium foil, steel lids and tins found in your kitchen, laundry and bathroom can go in your yellow lid bin.
- All glass bottles and jars can be recycled via your yellow lid bin.
- Cardboard, including non-greasy pizza boxes, newspaper and wrapping paper can be added to your yellow lid bin.
In the last financial year, Queensland recovered more than four million tonnes of materials, of which 79% remained in the state to be recycled.
Cr McLoughlin said there were several ways to determine which items can be recycled in the Bundaberg Region.
“Small steps towards recycling can make a big difference in reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill, so it's important to know what items can go in your recycling bin,” she said.
“If you're not sure what items are accepted for recycling, the best place to start is Council's website.
“I also encourage residents to download the Recycle Mate app which uses artificial intelligence to determine what your item is and how to best dispose of it,” she said.
For more information on the Queensland Government’s Let’s get it sorted campaign, visit www.qld.gov.au/recycling.
