Many moons ago we could only recycle a small number of plastics, glass and metals, but that has all changed. Things like mattresses, polystyrene, cigarettes can all be reworked. You just need to know where to look.
Socially, it's increasingly acceptable and even expected, to buy recycled or re-used products where we can and in many cases, recycled materials are better than virgin materials. Every time you buy recycled products you support the recycle market and that means large piles of recycled materials don't end up in landfill.
Using the Deposit scheme, placing recyclable items into the yellow-lidded recycle bin or dropping off Recyclable materials to a transfer station or collection point are all great, but are also only one step in the recycling process. A local market is created through the collection, sorting, and on-selling of local recyclable materials to reprocessing facilities.
New products are produced from these recyclable materials, and shelved at outlets around Australia. The greatest impact you can have on local recycling benefits comes by you purchasing products containing recycled content.
By doing this, you influence supply chains and create demand for recyclable products, ensuring the continual revolution of the market and opportunities to on-sell recyclable materials.