From Waste to Wonder
Have you ever really thought about what happens to your waste after you put it in the recycling bin or take it to a transfer station or community recycling centre?
Our Waste to Wonder campaign launched in November to showcase the types of products being made with common items we all recycle. Did you know old tyres can be made into athletic surfaces or glass into netball courts? What about plastic bottles into teddy bears? We really do turn everyday into play when we recycle! Want to know more? Why not take the quiz or book in for one of our community tours or talks?
Did you know?
Gas bottles and batteries of any type are dangerous and do not belong in any kerbside bin and can cause explosions and fires in collection trucks and at the landfill. Plus they are easy to recycle at your local transfer station.
Fabrics can also cause machinery to become tangled but did you know clean and dry fabrics can have many uses?
Linen can be useful for tradies and renovators as paint sheets or rags, old towels can be cut into squares and make excellent household cloths or replace paper towel use (cotton towels are super absorbent!). A quick zig-zag stitch or overlock around the edges will stop fraying – think of the savings in paper towel use. If you aren’t a sewer there are a number of businesses selling these types of products locally now.
Some pet rescue centres and vets do require clean towels from time to time so reach out to your local centre to see if they require any of these items
Local Boomerang Bag groups have literally saved tonnes of fabric going to landfill as they make reusable shopping bags out of donated fabrics like old curtains. Check out your local group for more information.
It’s easy to remember what should be in your recycling bin – any household rigid packaging that held food or toiletries – and they really only fall into 6 categories: cardboard, paper, hard plastic containers (think shampoo bottle and yoghurt pot), glass bottles and jars, aluminium packaging and steel cans. Everything else can either be recycled at your local recycling centre (gas bottles, metals, polystyrene, tyres, e-waste and batteries). Soft plastics should be in red lidded general waste bin.
Keep an eye out for our Road Show, we love talking to our residents on how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
