We need re-educating on all our recyclables

AUSTRALIANS are still keen to recycle household waste but have become overconfident and confused as they make avoidable mistakes.

A new study obtained by News Corp Sun has found that while 96 per cent of the country is eager to recycle, 94 per cent still put one or more nonrecyclable items in their recycling bin.

The Don’t Waste Your Waste study, being released on Global Recycling Day today by Nestlé and Planet Ark, also found that: 82 PER CENT incorrectly assume the “chasing arrows” recycling logo means an item is automatically recyclable 73 PER CENT don’t flatten egg cartons before recycling 60 PER CENT recycle foil incorrectly by not scrunching it up into a golf ball size first 58 PER CENT don’t remove leftover food from pizza boxes ALMOST HALF of people still try to recycle plastic cutlery 38 PER CENT still think plastic straws can be recycled 36 PER CENT incorrectly put plastic bags and soft plastics in the recycling ONE IN FOUR people think anything can go in the recycling bin and will be sorted by someone else 45 PER CENT said recycling labels were unclear.

Planet Ark Deputy CEO Rebecca Gilling said Austra- lians needed more support to recycle correctly.

“We know there’s still a high degree of confusion out there and people are overconfident with their recycling abilities, so those figures were disappointing,” she said.

But she said the introduction of a simpler Australasian Recycling Label, which more than 100 Australian companies had adopted, had made it easier for consumers.

“When people see a number inside the recycling logo illustrated with arrows like you would on a PET (plastic) bottle, it will tell you which of those numbers your council will accept in the recycling bin,” she said.

Ms Gilling said people were still throwing plastic bags, chip packets, clothing and even dirty nappies in their recycling.

“As they go through the machinery, they get caught up in it and workers have to cut away all the contaminates.”