5 things not to put in your red bin

Recycling household waste

I recently ran a local survey around recycling household waste and I found that a lot of people are unaware that certain items shouldn’t be going in your red bin and ultimately landfill. Items like batteries and eWaste can not only contaminate the environment and potentially leach back into the food system, but they often contain valuable resources that can be recovered and reused.

I was also surprised to discover that a lot of people didn’t know about a number of national and local recycling schemes. Ultimately, the results showed that even when people do want to protect the environment and reduce landfill, it is difficult to keep track of all the different places to drop-off different household waste. It’s not easy or convenient and can be confusing and overwhelming.

Local council recycling facilities

Since moving to a new area about 18 months ago, I found that there were limited options for disposing of household waste that shouldn’t go into my red bin. Most local councils have a resource recovery centre that you can take various household waste to for recycling, as well as regular chemical clean-out events.

• Check with your local council or the EPA NSW website to find your local resource recovery centres and upcoming chemical clean outs. Any NSW resident, unless otherwise stated, can utilise clean out events in Sydney, Illawarra and the Hunter regions.
• Check recyclingnearyou.com.au for other local options for your household waste.
  Outlined below are 5 of the top items that shouldn’t go in your red bin and what to do with them instead.

1. Expired or unused medication

Take it to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.

Why you shouldn’t put medication in your red bin

70% of respondents put medication in the bin and admitted that they didn’t know how to properly dispose of it. This correlates with the nation as a whole where it’s estimated that more than 500 tonnes of medicines are found in our waterways and landfill every year.

Studies have shown that these medicines have been detected in the food chain via water or fertilisers. When flushed down the sink or toilet they have also been shown to effect behaviour patterns of fish and other marine life.

Dispose of your medication safely

Your local pharmacy will safely dispose of most medication, including pet medication, as part of a nationwide scheme called RUM (Return Unwanted Medicines). This scheme was set up in 1998, but for some reason it’s not widely known about. Check out https://returnmed.com.au/faqs for a full list of what can be returned.

References:
Getting rid of 11m kg of unwanted medicine
https://returnmed.com.au/about-us/

2. Recycling household batteries

There are quite a few options for recycling household batteries:

• Aldi, Coles and Woolies stores
• Batteryworld stores
• Resource recovery centres
• Chemical clean-out events
• Check with your local council for other options.

You can also consider switching to rechargeable batteries.

Why you shouldn’t put batteries in your red bin

38% of respondents put household batteries in their red bin. 31% weren’t aware of any recycling drop-offs and 27% were aware, but don’t use them. Currently, less than 3% of all batteries purchased in Australia are recycled, the rest are going to landfill. This means that each year, over 14,000 tons of batteries are destined for landfill.

Most batteries contain harmful substances such as mercury, cadmium (a carcinogen) and lead. These substances might contaminate the land or groundwater. Additionally, recycling can recover elements like sulphuric acid, lead and plastic casing for re-use.

References:
https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/dead-and-buried-dangerously.html

3. Recycling fluorescent globes

• Take them to your local resource recovery centre or your next chemical clean-out.
• Replace your fluorescent fittings with LEDs instead.

Why you shouldn’t put fluorescent globes in your red bin

85% of respondents put fluorescent globes in the bin. Fluorescent lights contain a small amount of mercury, which is not harmful at home. However, in landfill it converts to methyl-mercury which is toxic, and spreads through air, water and soil into the environment. It’s estimated 95% of globes containing mercury are currently sent to landfill in Australia.

References:
https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au

4. Recycling eWaste

There is no single solution for recycling all eWaste and options vary across the country.

• Check with your local council or recyclingnearyou.com.au for specific items.
• Your local resource recovery centre recycles TVs, computers, printers and peripherals for free.
• Most Officeworks take computers, computer accessories and peripherals including printer ink and toner cartridges.
• Mobile muster has drop off points in most phone shops and Salvation army stores. They accept mobile phones, chargers, tablets and smart watches. You can also pick up a free post satchel from your post office.

Why you shouldn’t put eWaste in your red bin

eWaste was put in the bin by over 52% of respondents. Furthermore, over 25% of respondents were not aware of Mobile muster for phone & tablet recycling.

There is a huge quantity of eWaste going to landfill. Some of these items can be highly toxic.

Cathode ray tubes contain arsenic and flat screen TVs contain mercury. These substances can contaminate groundwater and soil and ultimately enter the food chain.

Additionally, there is an increase in mining of non-renewable resources to meet the demand for these products. Instead, by recycling our eWaste we could be extracting some of these resources like gold, steel and copper.

How to recycle your eWaste

In Australia, the National Television and computer recycling scheme (NTCRS) was established in 2011. This scheme recycles televisions, computers, printers, computer parts and peripherals. Your local resource recovery centre will take these items for free.

Additionally, Mobile muster recycle mobile phones and tablets. There are drop-off points in most mobile phone shops and salvation army stores. Libraries, newsagents and post offices sometimes have drop-off points as well. Post offices also stock free Mobile Muster satchels to post your phone instead.

Unfortunately, recycling of other electronic items like power boards, small appliances, CDs and DVDs are more difficult to find. Check with your local council to see what options are available to you. There are private companies that recover resources from eWaste, but there is often a cost involved.

References:
https://www.environment.gov.au
https://www.mobilemuster.com.au

5. Recycling plastic bags & other soft plastics

• Take a reusable bag to the shop.
• Look for plastic free options when choosing what to buy.

Why you shouldn’t put soft plastics in your red bin

You can actually put soft plastics in your red bin and over 51% of respondents do. However, Australians use over 10 million plastic bags per day! Being lightweight, it’s easy for them to get loose and end up as litter rather than going to landfill. In the environment they can endanger wildlife and break down into smaller pieces, ultimately ending up in our own food supply.

Soft plastics can be recycled, but most council’s do not include this option as part of their kerbside recycling. They can get tangled up in the sorting machinery and contaminate other recyclable material. So please check with your local council before putting them in your yellow bin.

How to recycle your soft plastics

Unfortunately Redcycle are no longer recycling soft plastics. Some areas are trialing other soft plastic recycling options as part of their council rubbish collection. Please check with your council. Otherwise, for the moment, they should go in the general rubbish bin, not the recycling bin.

References
https://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au/bags
https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au
https://www.cleanup.org.au/more-information-on-plastic-bags

Small steps

It can be overwhelming working out how to do the right thing for you, your family and the environment. There are often conflicting priorities and little time to figure it all out. Start small by picking one thing you can do and make it a habit. Once it’s part of your regular routine, pick something else to try.

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