Guest B H Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Hi there - I was wondering whether everyone recyles in Australia? Is it the norm to rinse out cartons & squash them, etc? Do you take them to a recycling centre or are they collected? Thanks, Bronwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Hi BronwynWe live in the city of Hume in Melbourne. We recycle. Yes, we rinse out the cartons, bottles and tins before placing them in our recycling bin, which is emptied by the council every two weeks. Into this bin also goes any paper products. I do think recycling changes from city to city and council to council. It would really depend where you are living and what the rule is there.Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 We recycle! We have a built-in recycle bin in our kitchen where we place rinsed plastic & glass bottles, cans, cartons, and any paper & cardboard. We have a recycle "wheelie" bin outside into which we empty this recycle bin when it's full and the council empties the "wheelie" bin every 2 weeks. Regular rubbish bins are emptied weekly. It takes a bit getting used to in the beginning (a lot of recycling items ended up in the regular rubbish bin out of habit) but after a while it comes so naturally that you feel guilty if you have to drop an empty can in a regular bin when you go out and there's no recycling bins available (usually they have them side to side wherever you'll find bins). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) Individuals in Australia can be most fastidious about recycling their waste, but consumer agency reports have found "recycled" items being taken by the council garbage trucks and dumped in landfill, negating all the good work of sorting stuff out in the first place.For years now, the environmental groups have called on State and Territory gov'ts to install recycling depots. To date, only Sth Australia has done so, bring in a 5c recycling deposit on cans as long ago as 1976. This extended to soft drink plastic bottles and eventually to flavoured milk cartons, so you can toss aside your Coca-Cola cans on the beach, but someone will gather them up and get the 5c for it . . . . not bad pocket money for kids who gather hundreds up at times!! It keeps our roadsides and beaches clean of soft drink bottles, cans, milk cartons, etc. Crossing the border into Victoria and New South is when you find the Coke cans and Iced coffee cartons lining the roadsides!Personally, I recycle all my beer cans, bottles, plastics and steel cans which I take myself to the recycling depot, getting $20 or $30 back for the trip! Edited October 24, 2006 by Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest B H Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Individuals in Australia can be most fastidious about recycling their waste, but consumer agency reports have found "recycled" items being taken by the council garbage trucks and dumped in landfill, negating all the good work of sorting stuff out in the first place.For years now, the environmental groups have called on State and Territory gov'ts to install recycling depots. To date, only Sth Australia has done so, bring in a 5c recycling deposit on cans as long ago as 1976. This extended to soft drink plastic bottles and eventually to flavoured milk cartons, so you can toss aside your Coca-Cola cans on the beach, but someone will gather them up and get the 5c for it . . . . not bad pocket money for kids who gather hundreds up at times!! It keeps our roadsides and beaches clean of soft drink bottles, cans, milk cartons, etc. Crossing the border into Victoria and New South is when you find the Coke cans and Iced coffee cartons lining the roadsides!Personally, I recycle all my beer cans, bottles, plastics and steel cans which I take personally to the recycling depot, getting $20 or $30 back for the trip!Another point to South Australia then, Bob! Recycling is going to take some getting used to, but we're going to try hard. Bronwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Did I just happen to mention South Australia?? Oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sunshine Sister Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Please somebody contact me when the Addie-force has died down a bit... Yes, I do recycle - 3 bins supplied by the council (green, red, yellow). Compared to other countries I don't find the recycling in Australia very organized, but I do like the idea of looking after the environment wherever I can. LoveSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jules Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Here in QLD we just have one wheelie bin which is partitioned for a recycling section. The bin is collected once a week. I suppose they then separate the cans from the bottles from the cardboard from the plastic bottles... I think it would be a lot easier to do the 3 wheelie bin thing, but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Did someone mention that here in South Australia we recycle, recycle, recycle We have a three bin system as well. This week we also have a hard rubbish collection, when everyone puts out the items (furniture, white goods, old car parts, etc) that are bulky on the pavement and the council picks it all up ... after the neighbours have helped themselves to your recycling, of course Bronwyn, there is also a group called Freecycle which we use quite often. Basically, you put on there everything you don't want anymore and someone will contact you and come and pick it up - saves on landfill space, helps those who need things but don't have much money and your trash can become someone else's treasure! Everyone a winner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dedrei Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Here in Cairns we have two wheelie bins. One for normally weekly rubish pickup and then the other for once-a-month pickup. Altough we aren't allowed to put any paper in this recycle bin, mostly plastic & glass things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy-Lee Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 When we lived in our first rental in Tuart Hill,Perth, we only had one bin for everything but in Ellenbrook we have the green (rubbish) and yellow(recycle) bins. Weekly pick ups but recycle every second week. So I guess it not only differs from state to state but from suburb to suburb.What are the red bins for? Have not seen any anywhere in Perth.Lindy-Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sunshine Sister Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Hey Lindy-Lee,How are you in gorgeous Perth today ?In my neighbourhood red is for regular trash, green is for all things organic (most ppl use it for garden trash) and yellow is for recycle items, glass, paper, etc. The red bin is collected every week, while the yellow and green are every other week. The red bin is smaller than the other two, I think it is done in an effort to force ppl to recycle more. Catch you on messenger some time to chat again ? I need to whinge about a couple of things.... AGAIN !!! LoveSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Just shows you how things can differ!In our part of Melbourne, light green is for regular household trash, dark green is for recycling and red is for organic stuff like food scraps.By the look of it you could really have a hard time moving around the country and trying to remember what is for what.Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 As I live in the bush and aren't near enough to town for a rubbish pick-up on a regular basis, I take my rubbish on occasion to the local recycling depot or rubbish tip.The amount of vegetation dumped there is astounding . . . . grass clippings, small bushes, rushes, etc. . . . all tipped.Going to an organic gardening weekend several years ago, I was told the importance in Australia of mulch . . . . just common ol' garden variety stuff.Getting the lawn mower out on small bushes and weeds, long grass and rushes makes them into shredded mulch which the flower or vegie garden thrive on, so next time, DON"T chuck your grass clippings away!The summer heat in Australia just sucks the moisture out of the soil, driving micro-organisms and worms down deeper where they aren't much use for the plants.Mulching with a thick layer about an inch or two deep keeps the top-soil nice and moist, as well as cool, so that your vegies and flowers will survive the whole week long between waterings.Just a little idea on recycling . . . . to your immediate advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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