Environmental charity urges Australians to 'Join the Cycle' as National Recycling Week begins
New research from Planet Ark has uncovered a widespread misunderstanding among Australians about what happens to their recycling, with about one in three (31 per cent) mistakenly believing that most items in their recycling bins end up in landfill.
This misconception stands in contrast to reality, with most correct items placed in recycling bins successfully processed and recycled. Approximately 80 per cent of all items placed in household recycling bins are recycled, with about 14 per cent not recycled due to being contamination (items that shouldn't be placed there in the first place). Only the remaining six per cent is not recycled due to breakage or process inefficiencies.
Participants in the research also identified knowledge that most of their recycling was being processed and recycled appropriately as the primary reason people would be more motivated to increase recycling at home. This suggests the misinformation surrounding recycling in landfill is a significant detractor from people's recycling efforts and continues to undermine public confidence in the recycling system.
Rebecca Gilling, Planet Ark CEO, expressed concern about how the persistence of these myths and the mistrust they cause hinders progress on the significant waste challenges Australia faces.
"It's vital that Australians know their efforts to recycle do make a difference. The vast majority of correctly recycled items do not go to landfill, and the system in place is effective at recovering valuable resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting down on the need for raw material extraction," she said.
In response to these findings, Planet Ark is redoubling efforts to provide educational resources to clarify what can and cannot be recycled at home, information on items that can be recycled through product stewardship schemes, and how to reduce waste through reuse and repair initiatives.
