A lot of what I coach my clients about has to do with getting yourself into good routines and forming good habits. One good habit to get in to is recycling at home.
We are going to have a look at how you can be a better recycler and get yourself organised in the process.
Daily Recycling
Set up easy to use recycling bins in your house. Notice I say “easy to use”: no one wants to walk all the way to the garage to put an empty bottle in the recycling. The bins need to be in arm’s reach.
Set up 3 bins:
- General Waste,
- Recyclables,
- Green Waste and to reduce even more waste going into landfill, why not try composting.
In addition you can keep a bag under the sink for soft/flexible plastics. If your council doesn’t collect them in your kerbside bin (some do including Boroondara, Nillumbik, Cardinia and Hobsons Bay), you can take them to Woolworths or Coles for recycling – you’ll be surprised at how much you collect in a week!
Weekly Recycling
Put your bin out for recycling each week – even though your bin may not be full each week, put it out with your general waste anyway to get yourself in the habit of thinking about recycling. Don’t forget to grab your flexible plastics and reusable shopping bags before you head to the supermarket (or pop your flexible plastics in your kerbside bin if your council collects them this way).
Recycling Makes a Difference
Sam Di Giovanni, former (now retired) Waste Management Coordinator at the City of Boroondara says “your everyday household recycling makes a big difference to the environment. Firstly when you recycle, there is less waste going into landfill. Secondly recycling saves valuable resources for example recycling aluminium cans and foils reduces energy consumption by 95% compared with making aluminium from virgin materials.”
If you are unsure what waste goes where, check out “Recycle Coach” the app used by many City Councils around Melbourne.
Other information included in the app is:
- My Schedule: not sure when your green waste bin is due to go out?
- What goes where: as above
- Be a Better Recycler: do the test to find out how you score and learn more about recycling along the way
- Communications: got any feedback, about the app, send them a message
3 Things We Can Do To Be Better Recyclers
I asked Sam and his successor, Natasza Purser, what 3 things we can do to be better recyclers:
-
- Put recyclables loose in the recycling bin, not tied up in a bag. “Tying the recyclables up in a bag means your recycling effort goes to waste as they may not be recycled”
- Only put recyclable material into the recycling bin. Sam says that “there is often other household waste incorrectly put in the recycling bin, and this contaminates the other recyclables
- Natasza says ‘Make sure you capture recyclables from every room – shampoo bottles from the bathroom, aerosol cans (which are often incorrectly placed in the garbage), and empty detergent and softener containers from the laundry can all usually be recycled in your kerbside bin. Even plastic bottles from bleach or other cleaning products can go in the recycling.’
Recycling Soft Plastic
Finally, I spoke to Sam briefly about the soft plastics recycling that was launched in City of Boroondara Council earlier this year. Sam said, “From mid February 2017, residents have been able to recycle soft and flexible plastic material as part of their weekly recycling collection. It just needs to be placed into the recycling bin in a tied plastic bag . This service is now available in the the cites of Cardinia, Hobsons Bay and Nillumbik and the start-up was a part of a Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group funded project”.
Natasza agrees that “The key message is to make sure you capture the soft/flexible plastics in tied plastic bag before placing them into the recycling bin – otherwise they won’t get recycled.”
For further information about the flexible plastic program go to https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/your_council/waste-recycling/flexible-plastics-program
Recycling is a great healthy habit to make a part of your daily routine. Recycling makes a difference to the planet and helps you get organised in the process.
Need a hand tweaking or putting together a daily routine? Contact me to discuss how small changes in our daily routine can make a big impact on our lives