Throwing soft plastics into the recycling bin is still the most common recycling mistake made by Australians, according to new research by Planet Ark.
A survey of 180 councils commissioned by the environment organisation for Recycling Week asked councils to identify what were the most common recycling mistakes made by their residents.
Forty-six per cent of councils said the number one issue was that too many people were still putting soft plastics, which are not recyclable, into their recycling bins.
This was followed closely by residents making the mistake of putting their recyclable waste into plastic bags before disposing of them, with 41% of councils saying this was a problem.
Soft plastics, such as wrappers, cling wrap and bags, clog up sorting machines. Most can be dropped off at Coles and Woolworths stores and put into their RedCycle bins instead.
Recyclable materials that have been put in plastic bags will be transferred to landfill. Any recycling waste should be kept loose in the recycling bin.
Ryan Collins, the recycling program manager for Planet Ark, said Australians continued to make the same mistakes because of a lack of clear education around what can and can’t be recycled.
Most Australians want to recycle, he said, but were turning to councils and NGOs to provide them with more information.
He said there were tools available to help, such as the Australasian recycling label which is gradually being added to more household and consumer products.
“It’s an evidence-based label that tells you exactly what to do with different parts of packaging,” he said.
Information on what can and can’t be recycled and where people can find their closest drop-off facilities can also be found at Planet Ark’s “recycling near you” website.
Other common mistakes identified by councils included throwing food waste, which contaminates paper and cardboard recycling streams, into the recycling.
Nappies, clothing and other nonrecyclable plastics, such as meat trays and bottle tops, were also a problem.
Planet Ark’s report also found that despite 71% of people being confident they knew what could be recycled, 61% would still like more information.
Ninety per cent of Australians agreed that recycling was the right thing to do.
