4 Apr 2006 - Don’t Squash Your Recyclables
Coffs Coast residents are being urged not to squash plastic bottles or aluminium and steel cans before they go into the recycling bins or are deposited at recycling drop-off centres.
"In the past, we were always urged to compact our recyclable items as much as possible, but recyclables actually need to be full size to be sorted properly at the new Materials Recovery Facility," said Bob Burgess, Chairman of the Coffs Coast Waste Services Education Committee.
"Also we're urging residents to keep recyclables separate. Please don't place bottles, cans, or other small items into cereal boxes or paper bags, for example. It's also critical not to put recyclables into plastic bags.
"Another common misconception is that all glass items can be put into your recycling bin or left at the recycling drop-off centres. However, it's important to place only clear, green or brown glass bottles and jars into the yellow-lidded recycling bin. Other non-recyclable glass items - such as broken drinking glasses, window panes, pyrex and crockery - must be put into the red-lidded other waste bin.
"It only takes a piece of ceramic material the size of a 20c piece to contaminate a load of otherwise recyclable glass," he said.
If residents have clothes, toys, working electrical goods, kitchen utensils or any other item that is too good to be thrown out, the Coffs Coast Waste Service is encouraging people to reuse them by taking them to a local charity organisation, having a garage sale, giving them away to friends or family or dropping them off at the Re-use Centre at the Englands Road Waste Management Facility or Ecohouse at the Raleigh Waste Centre in Urunga.
"The key golden rule to remember about recycling is to keep plastic bags out of your recycling bin," said Mr Burgess.
"All plastic bags currently available to Coffs Coast residents are not recyclable. Some plastic bags have recycling symbols or might state 'recycle me' on them. These are not recyclable through the current waste system. Bags which say 'degradable' or even 'bio-degradable' are not recyclable either.
"Don't forget, you can take plastic bags to most local Coles and Woolworths Supermarkets, where they are collected and sent away for reprocessing," he said.
Coffs Coast Waste Services - Overview of what can go into yellow bin for recycling
Media Contact:
Education Committee Chairman, Bob Burgess, (02) 6655 7325.
