We all know recycling is a good idea. But even when we get it right, there are lots of recyclable products that local councils won't accept. Across the country, people are trying to do better by bundling up tricky items. Experts say it's not a long-term solution, but it is worth the effort.
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00:00In the basement of her Sydney apartment block, Victoria Collis is making recycling easier
00:08for her neighbours.
00:09Some of it goes to the weekly recycling pick-up that is organised through the council.
00:15She collects more than 50 types of items that can't go in your normal recycling bin, but
00:20can be re-used or recycled with a little elbow grease.
00:25Toothbrushes and toothpaste, I drop them off at Bupa.
00:28Despite her dedication and careful research, it's not easy.
00:31Even when you think you've found something that works, and then you get there and find
00:35out, no, we don't participate in that programme anymore.
00:38This one is from Hampton in Victoria, Walpool and WA.
00:43Lottie DL also wants recycling to be easier.
00:46We've got those pesky pumps and the sprays.
00:49People all over Australia send their tricky items to her company in Sydney for recycling.
00:54You don't have to take your coffee cups somewhere, your blister packs somewhere else, your beauty
00:59products somewhere else.
01:01Confusion over what can and can't go into kerbside recycling is part of the problem.
01:07If there was even a state standard, it would make it so much easier and it would reduce
01:12our contamination rates as well.
01:14More than 7 million tonnes of packaging is either made or imported into Australia every
01:20year.
01:22The federal government set a target of recycling 70% of plastic packaging by 2025.
01:28In 2022-23, we only hit 19%, which is why some question whether small-scale recyclers
01:36make a difference.
01:37It's unlikely that we're probably going to be able to scale these grassroots initiatives
01:42to the level that we would need across Australia.
01:45But that doesn't mean suburban recyclers should be written off.
01:48They help people realise that certain things shouldn't go in the yellow bin and we need
01:51other solutions for them.
01:53The best solution would be to package things differently in the first place.
01:57We're not going to recycle our way out of this.
02:00And that puts the onus on business to find alternatives to plastic packaging.