Today (Monday 21 October) marks the start of Recycling Week – a nationwide effort to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away.
Recycling not only prevents waste from going to landfill, but even more importantly helps to stop plastic waste entering our waterways and negatively impacting the city’s wildlife. Recycling Week is a great reminder to consider whether we’re doing enough to help protect our environment.
Maire Porter, Hamilton City Council’s City Waters Unit Manager, says one simple but significant step we can all take is ensuring we get our recycling right.
“To be able to turn plastic bottles and glass jars into new products, we need clean recyclables, so it’s important we give containers a quick rinse to remove any residue,” says Mrs Porter.
“More and more Hamiltonians wanting to take action to help the environment, Recycling Week is a great opportunity for everyone to recycle more. If each of us reused or recycled just one more thing each day, it would make a huge difference to cutting down our waste.”
And with Recycling Week in full swing, what better time to reflect on our environmental footprint and take positive action to reduce the waste we send to landfill. But how can we go the extra mile? Two Hamiltonians championing sustainability in their households share their top recycling and waste minimisation tips.
Katie Hine, Sustainability Coordinator at The University of Waikato
- Pop plastics and cans at the bottom of the recycle bin and secure with glass items on top. The lighter items will be less likely to blow away in the wind.
- To save water, rinse your recyclables in your washing-up water instead of running the tap.
- When recycling paper and cardboard, flatten and compress as much as you can, and wedge between your recycle bin and black rubbish bag(s) so it’s less likely to blow away.
- Recycling is sorted by hand, so don’t put anything in your bin that you wouldn’t want to touch.
- When grocery shopping, choose glass, tin or aluminium packaging, which can be recycled again and again. Plastic only gets downcycled.
Cheridan Mathers, Curator at Hamilton Zoo
- Look out for stores, local markets and bakeries where goods are sold unpackaged. You can buy food, household and pet products like kitty litter in bulk, then take your containers back for
refills, including for things like cleaning products, toiletries and oil. I’ve just started buying milk from the local Bin Inn, where I can use my glass bottle for refills. - If you’re already recycling to reduce your carbon footprint, why not use the same principles when purchasing new items? Buying stuff made from recycled materials means you’re using your dollars to support greener business practices.
- Use bars of soap instead of liquid hand and body wash that come in plastic bottles. Why not try soap bars for shampoo, conditioner and deodorant?
- Take reusable bags everywhere! Put one in your handbag, your backpack, your car, even your jacket pocket. If you do forget your reusable bags, ask the store for one of their spare cardboard boxes – they have plenty out the back – to take your groceries to the car.
- Come up with a menu theme and plan your meals for the week in advance. You can use leftovers more efficiently and use similar ingredients in different ways. It means fewer trips to the supermarket, less impulse spending and less waste.
To minimise the city’s waste footprint and reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill, the Council is wheeling out an exciting new kerbside rubbish and recycling service from 1 July 2020.
The new service will include a 120-litre (L) rubbish wheelie bin, a 240L recycling wheelie bin, a 45L crate for glass recycling and a 23L food scraps bin. With the new service, almost 50% of Hamilton residents’ landfill waste can be diverted by composting organic materials in the new food scraps bin instead. By accepting pizza boxes and increasing the plastics recycling to include types 3 to 7, Hamilton will reduce the waste that goes to landfill even more.
For more information on the new smarter, greener and cleaner kerbside rubbish and recycling service, visit fightthelandfill.co.nz.