Whether you are a resident or studying abroad, it is important to learn the rules of recycling in Australia. This way, you are taking the right approach when recycling. Are you looking to help the environment by recycling your materials? Here are four things you should know about recycling as a student in Australia.
Items Should Be Clean
You do not want a lot of leftover food to interfere with the recycling process, so it is important to scrape the solid food out of jars and cans. A small amount of food may not interfere with the recycling process, but you can always lightly rinse the items out to be safe. If you have pizza boxes to recycle, check with the council to ensure they are accepted. Remove any leftover food and cardboard mats from the pizza boxes before recycling them.
Discard Plastic Bottle Caps
Plastic bottle caps should be removed and discarded before the bottles go into the recycling bin. The caps add weight to the bottles and interfere with the recycling process. You can always remove the cap, squeeze out the air and replace the cap if your council accepts them. However, most councils do not accept the plastic bottle caps as a recyclable material. It is best to just toss the plastic bottle caps out and recycle the actual bottles rather than taking a risk with the caps.
Avoid Recycling Plastic Bags
It is not a good idea to recycle plastic bags, and they are not accepted by any recycling councils. Plastic bags slow down both the manual and automatic recycling process. They are tossed directly into the recycling bin without being opened, which means any recyclables inside the plastic bags are also discarded. It is best to just place your recyclables in the proper bins and toss out the plastic bags from the beginning.
Look Into Recycling Bins
There are several options for recycling bins in Australia, starting with the curbside bins. These bins are provided to households to ensure your accepted materials make it to the proper location. The second option is to rent a skip bin for a home project, such as a renovation or building construction. Skips come in a variety of sizes to make it easier to recycle the materials from your project. This way, you are not filling your curbside bins with these materials.
If you keep the above tips in mind, you are sure to become an expert at recycling in Australia.