Know your facts

Knowing what happens to your recycling, and how to recycle well, helps everyone – the waste-collector, waste-sorter, container manufacturer, drinks company and you. There are some great tips on how to recycle right, here.

Here’s a few more things you might want to know the next time you send your drink container to be recycled.

When you recycle your bottle or can, you’re part of the Circular Economy

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that reuses, repairs and recycles pre-existing materials as many times as possible. For PET plastic containers, a circular economy happens when a used container is correctly recycled, processed into what are called pellets, and then turned into a new container. This can happen again and again.

It’s different from other recycling models (which could see material turned into something else like clothing or walking paths), in that container manufacturers reuse the material to make the same type of container, and that creates a tight circular economy.

But the circle can only be complete if you recycle your container in the right way - at a container deposit/refund scheme near you.

Top tips to help you recycle your drinks container

To empty or not to empty

You might wonder if you should empty your drink container before you recycle it. Yes, you should! Emptying your bottles before going to a return depot or placing them in a kerbside collection bin will ensure that your returns can be processed quickly and safely by the person receiving them. Reverse Vending Machines, the automated recycling machines you see in your community, also need the bottle to be completely empty so they can sort and bale the material properly, ready for reprocessing. Putting full bottles in the device can cause it to break down, and you won’t get your refund. When in doubt, empty it out!

Caps on or off?

We advocate for caps on bottles recycling, but it’s worth checking with your local CDS scheme or Council to see if caps are accepted before recycling them.

‘Caps on’ is great for two reasons - the environment and the ability to recycle, because caps are a valuable material too.

Infinite recyclability

Glass and aluminium can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing quality or purity , making them a truly circular material we can use again and again. So always be sure to recycle these materials, either by putting your container in CDS or a kerbside.

Single-material plastic is easier to recycle

The easiest items to recycle are the products made from a single material. The beverage industry has worked hard to transition their plastic bottles to an easily recyclable, single material design. So next time you pick up a plastic bottle, check if it says PET or HDPE and make sure it is recycled in CDS or if not eligible, kerbside.

Many factors drive recycling – and you’re one of them

Recycling is determined by many important things: how the packaging is designed, how much consumers engage with the recycling system, how clean the materials are that go to the recyclers, and engagement from CDS schemes and councils. When there is demand for recycling (by people putting clean packaging into the correct bins), and a way for CDS schemes and councils to process collections economically through selling to recycling facilities, then we have a mutual benefit to recycle. But, the greatest benefit of course is on the planet!

Why should you recycle?

When you recycle, you are ensuring that less waste goes to landfill, less raw materials are used, and that your favourite brands have access to material they can reuse again and again. Taking the simple steps above before bringing your containers to CDS or placing them in kerbside recycling helps ensure that the Australian circular economy remains strong and viable for generations to come.

Check out other tips on recycling right here!