Skip to main content

Saturday the 5th of June marks World Environment Day which helps raise awareness for environmental concerns and encourages businesses, households, and individuals to take action to create a more eco-friendly future. At CopperRock, we offer recycling services that are designed to mitigate environmental harm caused by waste. By isolating recyclable goods in our processes, we reduce the waste that gets sent to landfill while also giving materials a second life through recycling.

To celebrate this important day in environmental awareness, we have created a list of 5 recycling tips that you can implement at home to help the environment. By following these tips, you will be doing your part in helping create a better future for our planet.

Tip 1: Identify What Can be Recycled

Often, identifying what can and can’t be recycled is as easy as finding the recycle logo on the packaging. However, there are certain materials that may not include the logo that can almost always be recycled. These include paper, cardboard, aluminium, steel, certain plastics, and glass.

Other goods and materials  that can be recycled at specific facilities such as CopperRock’s waste & recycling centre in Melbourne’s Bayside include car batteries, bricks, concrete, and electronic waste such as televisions, computers, and fridges.

So make sure you sort out what can and can’t be recycled so that you can streamline the process of getting the right materials to the right places. This little bit of extra effort will go a long way towards reducing the amount of unnecessary waste causing stress on the environment.

Tip 2: Recycled Goods Don’t Have to be Cleaned

It’s true that a quick rinse of a jar or container will help reduce odours and food scraps, but overall, recyclables don’t have to be thoroughly cleaned before disposal. Small traces of food won’t impede the recycling process, which is conducted in an entirely sanitary manner to begin with.

As such, don’t feel obligated to give all of your recyclable containers a deep clean before placing them in a bin or taking them to a recycling centre. Recycling shouldn’t be a time consuming task on your end, so as long as your goods are safe, appropriate, and compliant, you don’t have to worry about a few traces of leftover peaches in your tin cans.

Tip 3: Electronics can be Recycled

Electronic waste (or e-waste) accounts for a large portion of unnecessary waste each and every year as many people aren’t aware that their electronic goods can be recycled instead. While many electronics will need to be taken to a specialised recycling centre, doing so will ensure that you are protecting the environment from excess waste.

All kinds of electronics from printers to TVs to toasters have the potential to be refurbished for further use, or have their parts removed and recycled in further products. Some appliances such as fridges also have hazardous chemicals which recycling companies can dispose of appropriately.

Tip 4: Don’t Use Plastic Bags for Recycling

Plastic bags are not made up from recycled materials meaning they should be disposed of in your general waste bin. As plastic bags can take decades to decompose, it’s recommended you use reusable bags for your groceries instead. Furthermore, recyclable goods can’t be placed in plastic rubbish bags, as opening them is considered a safety hazard and won’t be conducted at recycling centres like CopperRock. Instead, leave rubbish bags to store general waste, and isolate recyclable goods by themselves.

Tip 5: Know What Plastics Can be Recycled in Australia

Almost every plastic should contain a recycling code which indicates the type of plastic it’s made of. These include:

plastic codes helpful for recycling

1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

4: Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE)

5: Polypropylene (PP)

6: Polystyrene (PS)

7: All other plastics

Unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast rule about which plastics can be recycled as different councils have different regulations throughout Australia. As a general guide, plastics 1, 2 and 5 can be recycled while you should consult your local council’s recycling guidelines about plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7. Lastly, LDPE (4) is soft flexible material used to create plastic bags. As mentioned in tip 2, these shouldn’t go into your recycling bin but into REDcycle bins at your local supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths, where they’re transferred directly to recycling plants who accept them – such as Replas.

Tip 5: Buy Recycled and Reused Goods

The CopperRock Tip Shop is a great place to explore and buy a range of treasures that have been donated to our waste & recycling centre. All items there are still in usable condition and are just waiting to find their way into a new home. This is just one way that you can centre your purchasing decisions around recycled and reused goods so that you are validating the process and helping ease stress on the environment.

Get in Touch

CopperRock is dedicated to providing Melbourne’s Bayside residents with a responsible and eco-friendly way to dispose of their waste and recycling. For this year’s World Environment Day, think about how you can improve your recycling habits to have a positive impact on the environment around you. And for any questions about how we can help your waste management, contact us on (03) 9585 4385 today!