Did you know that more than 9,000 tonnes of recycling end up in kerbside waste bins each year? That's more than 193,000 wheelie bins full of material that unnecessarily ends up in landfill every year.
This year for National Recycling Week (7-13 November) Council is encouraging all residents to change their habits and keep recycling out of waste altogether.
To help residents avoid sending recyclables to landfill, lift the right lid – keep recycling out of waste is one of three key messages which have been incorporated in new graphics emblazoned on Council waste and recycling trucks. The newly branded trucks include iconic landscape images from across our region and also drive home the recycle right and love food, hate waste campaigns.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said that reducing the amount of recycling ending up in landfill was a key component of Council's waste strategy.
"Council aims to reduce residential waste sent to landfill by 15% in in the next five years, continuing to have this much recycling in waste will simply not achieve that target," Cr Manning said.
The lift the right lid campaign reminds residents what should and should not go into the yellow lid recycling bin.
Deputy Chair of the Local Authority Waste Management Action Committee and Cairns Councillor Brett Moller said the community can take some steps to reduce recycling being sent to landfill.
"Unfortunately, up to 20% of materials placed in waste bins each year could be recycled," Cr Moller said.
"This is both economically and environmentally costly to the community.
"An easy first step is understanding there are four main categories of recycling – steel and aluminium cans; hard plastic bottles and containers; glass bottles and jars; and paper and cardboard items that should be placed in the yellow lid recycling bins instead.
"If residents are unsure, they can jump on Council's website and visit the Recycle Right page, which explains exactly what items should be placed in the yellow lid bin," Cr Moller said.
In November 1996, Planet Ark founded National Recycling Week to bring a national focus to the environmental benefits of recycling. National Recycling Week is an annual initiative supported by Cairns Regional Council.
