Managing Waste in your Community Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit
This information kit has been adapted by the Southern Waste Strategy Authority from fact sheets developed by the Gould League in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria. The kind permission of EcoRecycle Victoria is acknowledged in publishing this material.
Contents Page
1. Introduction 2
2. How to Use the Package 2
3. Fact Sheets 3
3.1 Garbage 4 3.2 Recycling Snapshot 7 3.3 The 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle 11 3.4 Waste Tips 14 3.5 Paper Recycling 16 3.6 Plastic Recycling 19 3.7 Glass Recycling 23 3.8 Steel Can Recycling 25 3.9 Aluminium Recycling 27 3.10 Milk & Juice Carton Recycling 29 3.11 Home Composting 31 3.12 Resources 38 3.13 Key Contacts 40
4. Appendix 42
A. Managing Waste in your Community – Lesson Guide
B. Managing Waste in your Community – Student Worksheet
C. Managing Waste in your Community – Teacher Worksheet
D. Managing Waste in your Community – Cue Cards Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______1. Introduction
What is the Southern Waste Strategy Authority?
The SWSA is a Local Government Joint Authority, formed by the twelve southern Tasmanian councils, to implement a comprehensive waste management strategy throughout the region.
Based on the widely recognised principles of 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle', better known as the Waste Management Hierarchy, the strategy aims, amongst other things, to raise community awareness of, and participation in sound waste management practices.
Schools can play an important role in this awareness and participation process, through the dissemination of information to students, who will in turn, spread the message into the home and greater community.
This kit aims to offer a snapshot of waste management practices in Australia, and provides educators in southern Tasmania the resources to tailor a program to local conditions and to the needs of their students.
2. How to Use the Package
Included in this package are a variety of resources designed to give educators flexibility with regard to teaching styles. The package can be adapted for use across the K - 12 curriculum, with the scope for use only limited by the teacher’s imagination.
Detailed information is available on the fact sheets, which can either be photocopied and distributed amongst the students, or used as background information by the teacher.
A laminated set of cue cards, depicting photos of common household items has been included. These work in conjunction with the “Managing Waste in your Community” worksheets that are included.
The package can be downloaded from the SWSA website www.southernwaste.com.au, which contains other information relevant to schools in southern Tasmania, including Case Studies, Links, Programs, etc.
Teachers are invited and encouraged to submit their own lesson plans to the SWSA, which incorporate aspects of this package. These will then be made available via the Authority’s website, for use by all schools.
2 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3. Fact Sheets
3 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.1 Garbage
Did you know?
In Australia
• Australians create about 28 million tonnes of garbage every year. Just over one third of this material is recovered for recycling. (WCS Market Intelligence 2001)
• Australia is also one of the highest producers of waste per head of population in the world. In 1999, Australia ranked second, behind the USA, in terms of domestic waste generation. (Australia State of the Environment Committee 2001)
We all produce garbage as a part of everyday living but we do not normally think too much about it. We just put our bins out every week and the council arranges for someone to pick up the garbage and take it away.
However, we all need to start thinking about the things we throw away because garbage disposal has become a major economic and environmental problem for us in the 21st century.
The history of garbage in Australia
The original inhabitants of Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, produced very little garbage. In coastal regions, archaeologists have found piles of debris at Aboriginal campsites, called shell middens. All that is found today in these middens are bones, shells and discarded bone and stone tools. The wet organic waste rotted away naturally.
The early European settlers in Australia also produced little garbage; things were too hard to get in the first place. Most food scraps were either fed to dogs, pigs and chickens, or used as compost in the gardens.
Until a few generations ago, garbage was not a major problem in Australia, mainly because people did not produce much garbage and there were plenty of places to dispose of what was produced. In those days, people did not throw out much garbage for a number of reasons.
• there was little unnecessary packaging • bottles for milk, beer and soft drink were refilled • food scraps were either fed to the dogs and chooks or composted with garden waste • a lot of garbage was burnt in backyard incinerators • children’s clothes were passed on to younger children • broken shoes, toys, tools and utensils were repaired rather than thrown away.
Any garbage that could not be reused, refilled, recycled, burnt, given away or fixed was placed out in metal bins (called dustbins), collected by ‘dustmen’ and taken to council landfill sites. These ‘tips’ were usually old quarries and, when filled, were often converted into recreational areas.
Garbage today
Since the 1970s garbage has become an increasing and major problem, mainly due to lifestyle changes and people throwing away more and more. Going to the supermarket has replaced home delivery from small neighbourhood shops, resulting in the use of more packaging and non- refillable containers. Disposable products have replaced reusable products, for example, tissues replaced handkerchiefs. Convenience and takeaway food and drinks with disposable packaging also result in more garbage.
4 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
More efficient manufacturing practices have produced cheaper household appliances and tools, so it is often cheaper to buy a new product than fix a broken one. Fewer people keep chickens and most pets are fed on packaged pet food rather than family scraps. With concerns over air pollution, many councils have banned backyard incinerators.
A survey conducted by the Southern Waste Strategy Authority (SWSA) in 2002, estimated that in metropolitan Hobart, each household disposed of 2.5kg of recyclables and 7.5kg of garbage per week at the kerbside (Nolan-ITU, 2002). This equates to approximately 11,500 tonnes of recyclables being collected across southern Tasmania per year, and 35,000 tonnes of garbage per annum at the kerbside alone(Nolan-ITU, 2002).
Australia's growing population and a lack of suitable landfill sites are adding to the problem. Potential landfill sites in close proximity to urban areas are scarce and face opposition from local communities.
It can be difficult and expensive for councils to establish new landfill sites because waste management authorities have strict regulations governing their establishment and operation to protect public health and the environment. Often the only choice to councils without landfill sites in their municipality is to transport their garbage to a landfill site in another area. This may involve building a transfer station—a facility where garbage is off-loaded into pits, transferred to large trucks and transported to landfill—all of which can increase the cost of disposing of waste.
Garbage in Australia
Australians threw out over 21 million tonnes of garbage in 1996/97, which cost about $1,256 million for collection and disposal, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
About two thirds of garbage going to landfill in capital cities consists of commercial and industrial waste. Half of this amount is construction and demolition waste. The remaining third is domestic and council waste such as litter bins and street sweepings.
5 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Household garbage
The makeup of household garbage in 2002 in Tasmania is shown in the following diagram.
Composition by weight of household garbage 2002 (Nolan-ITU 2002)
Material Type Tasmania % Food Waste 32.1 Green Waste 6.3 Other Non-Recyclables 10.4 Paper/Cardboard 23.6 Glass Containers 14.1 Steel 2.8 Liquid Paperboard 0.4 PET/PVC/HDPE 3.2 Other Plastics 6.5 Aluminium 0.6
What is the solution?
Limiting the size of household bins helps reduce the garbage problem by encouraging people to recycle more. However, there also needs to be a change in consumer behaviour. Consumers can help to reduce garbage by choosing products that are long lasting and have minimal packaging.
Shopping more carefully is one strategy that will help minimise waste and other strategies are described in the other information sheets in the series.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
Sources
Armstrong, P and Laffin, J 1993, Waste Matters, Environmental Education Activities About Waste, Gould League of Victoria, Victoria. Beverage Industry Environment Council 1998, Recycling Audit And Garbage Bin Analysis. BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council Commonwealth Environment Protection Agency 1992, National Waste Minimisation And Recycling Strategy, CEPA/DASET. Environment Protection Authority Victoria 1991, Garbage Analysis Program – Stage Five April 1990 to February 1991, Publication 283 – November. Industry Commission 1991, Recycling, Vol. 1, Recycling in Australia, Report No. 6. Nolan-ITU 2002, Southern Waste Strategy Authority – Kerbside Garbage & Recycling Survey, East Kew, Victoria
6 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.2 RECYCLING SNAPSHOT
Did you know?
• Australians threw out over 21 million tonnes of garbage in 1996/97, which cost about $1,256 million for collection and disposal, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
• We create about 28 million tonnes of waste every year. Just over one third of this material is recovered for recycling. (WCS Market Intelligence 2001)
• Australia is one of the highest producers of waste per head of population in the world. In 1999, Australia ranked second, behind the USA, in terms of domestic waste generation. (Australia State of the Environment Committee 2001)
• A survey conducted by the Southern Waste Strategy Authority (SWSA) in 2002, estimated that in metropolitan Hobart, each household disposes of 2.5kg of recyclables and 7.5kg of garbage per week.
• Every week, one recycling household saves: o Over 3 kg of greenhouse gases such as CO2 that would otherwise contribute to global warming. o Enough electricity to run a 40 watt light bulb for 72 hours. o Over 90 litres of water, enough to wash 5 sink loads of dishes. (EcoRecycle Victoria Recycling 2001)
• Consumers can help reduce garbage by choosing products that are long lasting and have minimal packaging. Shopping more carefully is one strategy that will help minimise waste. Recycling is another.
History of Recycling in Australia
The first Australian paper mill to use recycled material was built in 1815 - it used recycled rags to make paper. Waste paper collections from households and factories started in Melbourne in the 1920s.
More common horse and cart collections of newspaper from households began in Australia in the 1940's. This paper was typically re-used or recycled into packaging material.
Charitable organisations have been recycling household goods and clothing for over 100 years.
BHP Steel first started recycling industrial steel scrap back in 1915. Glass bottles and aluminium cans were also collected by scouting groups and other community-based organisations to be re- used or recycled by bottle and can manufacturers.
Scrap metal dealers have long recovered the valuable metals from old motor cars and white goods, to be used again in other new products. Henry Ford recycled his Model T Fords back in the 1920's in order to save money and resources.
The recycling of car bodies continues to this day with this source of metal having an ongoing value to metal recyclers. Today, the majority of unwanted car batteries are being recycled.
Over 20 years ago, companies like Comalco established active campaigns to promote aluminium can recycling to the general public. The Comalco 'Cash-for-cans' program targeted children and
7 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______community groups to collect aluminium cans and deliver them to special buy-back centres in return for cash. This has raised significant funds for community and charity projects around Australia. (Planet Ark 2003, http://www.planetark.org/generalpage.cfm/newsid/66/newsDate/58.0/story.htm)
Recycling in Tasmania
In Tasmania, almost everything collected from kerbside recycling must be sent interstate (and sometimes overseas) for reprocessing. For this reason, there are some materials that are not accepted for recycling, usually because the demand for the end product is too low in quantity and/or value. It is therefore important to carefully choose what you buy from the supermarket, making sure to support your kerbside recycling program wherever possible.
Paper
The majority of paper collected in Tasmania is sent to Visy or Amcor in Melbourne for recycling and 1,400 tonnes per year is sent to Norske-Skog in Albury. Collex Recycling in Tasmania exports newspaper collected from Glenorchy and Brighton to Malaysia (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
Recycled paper and cardboard is mixed with water and converted into a thin slurry of individual fibres. This slurry is treated to remove contaminants such as plastic, string and paper clips, using sophisticated screening techniques. It is then made into paper in the same way as making paper from virgin material.
Plastics
There are about 40 different plastics or polymers used today, each having a different set of properties that makes it suitable for certain applications. It is therefore very important not to mix plastics, hence the need to remove the lids from your containers before presenting them for kerbside collection. The codes on the bottom of containers also help us to sort plastics.
It is estimated that 80% of PET plastic collected in Tasmania is reprocessed at Visy Prestons in Sydney. Collex Recycling sends all PET plastics collected in Glenorchy and Brighton offshore to be reprocessed in China. (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
The majority of HDPE plastic collected in Tasmania is reprocessed at Visy Chullora in Sydney and significant quantities are exported to China, however, no figures are available. (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
The only processor of PVC plastic in Australia is Australian Vinyls in Geelong, Victoria. Only small quantities are collected from Tasmania. (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
Bales of different types of plastic are returned to factories for reprocessing. In reprocessing plastic, the materials are shredded, chopped or ground and washed to remove contaminants. The material is dried and formed into pellets or powder, ready for remaking into new plastic products.
Glass
All glass from Tasmania is reprocessed in Melbourne and a small proportion of green glass is sent to Adelaide. (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
Glass bottles and jars collected in recycling schemes are sorted manually at recycling depots into clear, amber and green glass. Containers of different coloured glass are then taken to a
8 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______beneficiation plant to upgrade the quality of the waste glass before reprocessing. At these plants, contaminants such as metals, plastic, china, ceramics and stones are removed, and the glass is crushed. The cullet is transported to the glassmaking factory where it is used with the other materials to make new glass containers.
According to ACI Glass Packaging, new glass bottles may be made with up to 100% cullet. (ACI Glass Packaging 2000)
Steel Cans
Steel cans collected in Tasmania are taken to recycling sorting centres where they are separated either by hand or with magnets. The cans are then baled and sent to either:
• The BHP steel works at Wollongong, the Sydney Steel Mill, or Whyalla, where the cans are used to make new steel. • A de-tinning plant at Port Kembla in NSW, where the cans are de-tinned before being made into new steel in an integrated steel plant.
Aluminium Cans
KAAL Australia is Australia’s largest reprocessor of aluminium, with 90% of aluminium cans being reprocessed at the company’s Yennorra facility in NSW. (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
Aluminium cans that have been collected for recycling are first sorted and then baled into bricks. The bricks are transported to processing plants where they are fed into rotary furnaces which melt the aluminium at temperatures of up to 780ºC. The molten material is 'topped up' with other metals like magnesium, so that is the right composition to make new beverage cans. The molten alloy is then cast into ingots which are sent to rolling mills where they are remade into new cans. In some cases, the recycled cans are reprocessed into other aluminium products.
Aluminium does not 'degrade' during the recycling process, which means it can be recycled over and over again.
Milk and Juice cartons
Liquid Paper Board, used to make items such as milk and juice containers, collected in Tasmania is transported to the Shoalhaven Paper Mill NSW, operated by Paperlinx. Here, the product is recycled into high grade office paper. (Nolan-ITU, 2003)
The cartons are debaled, checked for contamination and placed with water in a machine called a hydrapulper (like a giant blender). In this machine, the cartons are broken up and the plastic and foil separates from the paper fibres. Paper is extracted and filtered to remove minor contaminants and can be used directly, without bleaching, to make high quality recycled office and copy paper.
The residual mixture is fed into a huge rotating drum with mesh on the outside. Water passes through the mesh, leaving the plastic and foil behind. The water is recovered and reused.
Recycling requires a little effort from each of us, but it does save resources and energy, as well as helping to protect the environment.
Do your bit – make a difference.
9 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
Nolan-ITU (2003), Southern Waste Strategy Authority – Assessment of the Financial and Environmental Impacts of Kerbside Recycling, East Kew, Victoria
Planet Ark 2003, http://www.planetark.org/generalpage.cfm/newsid/66/newsDate/58.0/story.htm
10 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.3 THE 3RS – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Garbage is a growing problem for today's society. Each year we recycle more, but we also create more garbage. It is a problem we all help to create, but with a little more thought, we can change our habits so that we throw out less garbage. These small, but worthwhile changes may at first seem inconvenient, but soon they will become second nature.
The benefits of minimising waste
Some of the key benefits of minimising waste are:
1. It conserves valuable resources including:
• Minerals – used to make many useful materials (e.g. bauxite is used to make aluminium). • Energy – used in mining, harvesting, manufacturing and transporting. • Forests – used to make paper and other wood products. • Petroleum – used to make plastics. • Landfill sites – the life of existing sites is extended.
2. It saves money. Cutting waste can save money in many different ways:
• If you waste less, you get more out of what you buy and waste disposal costs are reduced. • Businesses become more efficient. • Household incomes stretch further.
3. It reduces the impact on the environment.
• Fewer areas need to be affected by resource extraction (e.g. mining), harvesting or solid waste disposal. • Less fossil fuel needs to be burnt for energy, thus reducing the release of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
The 3Rs
The 3Rs are a simple guide to help each of us minimise waste at work, school and home. In minimising waste, remember to first 'reduce', then 'reuse', and finally 'recycle' what is left.
Reduce
Reduce simply means living more carefully so that you have less rubbish to get rid of later on. This could mean:
• Shopping more carefully by looking for products with minimal packaging. • Making foods at home instead of buying takeaways or convenience foods. • Making gifts and cards for family and friends, rather than buying them. • Growing your own vegetables and flowers. • Maintaining and repairing clothes, toys, tools and appliances rather than replacing them with new ones. • Looking after items so they last a long time. • Using disposables carefully so that you do not waste them. • Hiring, sharing and borrowing things rather than buying new ones where possible.
11 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
When shopping, try the following ideas to help reduce unwanted garbage:
• Take a bag, basket or box with you when you shop. • Use a shopping list. Try not to buy things on impulse. Buy only what you really need. • Avoid goods that have excessive packaging. • Choose products that come in concentrated form (e.g. kitchen detergent) or that have refills (e.g. certain ballpoint pens, some laundry detergents). • When you buy packaged goods, choose packaging that is either made from recycled materials or that can be refilled, reused or recycled. • Buy products made from recycled materials (e.g. paper, compost bins). • Buy products that are durable and will last you a long time. • Buy products that will not go out of fashion quickly and that can be repaired. • Buy fresh foods where possible and compost the scraps. • If possible, buy some food from bulk stores or markets. Take your own bags to be refilled. • Where there is a range of sizes available, choose the largest that you can use.
Reuse
Reusing means to use the same item more than once, preferably many times, rather than disposing of it after one use. Reusing saves the energy and resources that would have been used to make a new product and means that the product does not go in the bin.
There are lots of ways that you can reuse things around the home. Here are a few ideas:
• Reuse empty glass jars for jams and sauces. • Take a basket or cloth bag with you when shopping. • Hire, share or borrow items you do not use very often. • Open envelopes carefully so that they can be reused. • Use small, empty plastic soft drink bottles as drink bottles for school or outings. • Buy second-hand books for school and pleasure. • If you have too much junk around the house, arrange a garage sale and allow others to reuse your junk. • Save your old margarine and icecream containers and egg cartons and donate them to a school or preschool. • Buy reusable items rather than disposable ones (e.g. cloth hankies instead of paper tissues and rechargeable batteries instead of one-use batteries).
Recycle
Recycling means to return a waste product to a factory where it is remade into either the same product or something different. For example, used aluminium cans can be recycled back into either new drink cans or engine blocks for new vehicles. Recycling saves landfill space and also rescues the resources that were used to make the product in the first place. In some cases, recycling can also save energy.
Materials that can be collected from most homes for recycling include:
• Paper and cardboard • All glass bottles and jars • Aluminium cans and foil
12 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
• PET plastic soft drink bottles and fruit juice bottles (Code 1 – PET) • Plastic milk, cream and juice bottles (Code 2 – HDPE) • Steel cans • Milk and juice cartons
Some councils also collect plastic juice bottles with Code 3 – PVC.
There is some variation from council to council in the materials collected for recycling. Check with your local council for details about which materials are collected for recycling in your area.
You should only place out for kerbside collection those materials that are collected by your council. If the wrong materials are placed out, the recyclables will be contaminated. Contamination threatens the viability of the kerbside recycling system by increasing the costs to the collectors, the recyclers and ultimately the community.
In addition to kerbside recycling, many more items can be recycled including:
• Plastic supermarket bags (collected at some supermarkets) • Laser cartridges and ribbons • Wine bottle corks • Car parts (car bodies, batteries, tyres and motor oil) • Building materials (timber, concrete, and bricks) • Metals (lead, steel, copper and brass) • Fire extinguishers (yellow, halon type).
For more information, see our website (www.southernwaste.com.au).
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
Sources
Armstrong P, & Laffin, J 1993, Waste Matters, Environmental Education Activities About Waste, Gould League of Victoria. Beverage Industry Environment Council 1996, Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis, June– September. Recycling and Resource Recovery Council 1994, Less Waste Wins—How to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
13 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.4 WASTE TIPS
There are lots of easy things you can do to reduce common wastes.
Paper
• Keep a box beside your desk at home, at school or at work for paper to be reused.
• Reuse sheets of paper that have been used on one side for: - drawing paper for young children - rough drafts of stories and letters - study notes
• Reuse paper that has been used on one side to make pads for: - shopping lists - telephone messages - games
• Reuse old envelopes. Cover the name and address with a plain sticker or glue on a square of paper. Mark with a message, such as 'Reuse your envelopes'.
• Save newspapers and other waste paper that cannot be reused for recycling.
• Place a 'NO ADVERTISING MATERIAL' notice on your letter box.
• When buying paper, make sure it is made from recycled fibre.
• If you have a home computer, reduce the use of paper by proof reading your work from the screen before printing a hard copy.
• Use the back of a used envelope as a shopping list.
Plastic bags
• Refuse plastic bags for single purchases.
• Take your own bags, basket or box from home when you go shopping, instead of accepting new ones from the stores.
• Reuse small plastic bags for fruit and vegetables if you shop at a supermarket. If you shop at a small shop or in a market, ask the shopkeeper to pack your goods directly into your bag, box or basket, without using plastic bags.
• Keep a few used plastic shopping bags or cardboard boxes in the car for shopping on the way home from work or an outing.
• Keep a spare plastic shopping bag (rolled up and secured with a rubber band) in your handbag or wallet for those times when you thought you would not need a bag, but did.
14 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Bottles, cans and jars
• Recycle empty glass bottles and jars, milk or juice cartons, plastic bottles, aluminium cans, and steel cans. Check with your local Council for details about what is collected for recycling in your area.
• If you are on an outing or a holiday where there is no recycling bin, take your bottles and cans home for recycling.
Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Compost fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, grass clippings and soft stemmed plants. Visit the Southern Waste Strategy Authority website (www.southernwaste.com.au) for information on home composting.
Other waste tips
• Save your corks from wine and champagne bottles. Give them to the Girl Guide Association who will sell them to a cork recycler.
• Store leftover food in the refrigerator in bowls covered with a saucer or a small plate, rather than plastic wrap.
• Give old clothes, toys, furniture and appliances to charity.
• Use old stockings to tie up tomato plants.
• Reuse orange bags to store and dry onions from your vegetable garden.
• Use mulch on your garden to improve the soil, save water and stop the weeds growing.
• Use partly rotted grass clippings as mulch around vegetables.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
15 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.5 Paper Recycling
Did you know?
• In 1999–00, Australians used almost 1.5 million tonnes of packaging paper (cardboard boxes and paper wrapping). Over 1 million tonnes of this packaging paper was recovered for recycling. • In Australia, around 680,000 tonnes of newspapers were used in 2001. Tasmania’s newspaper recycling rate was 72.4% for 2002, well above the National Average of 65.2%. • Approximately 1.3 million tonnes of printing and writing paper was used in Australia in 1999 – 2000 with 216,000 tonnes being recycled.
History of making paper
Paper is a material that has been used by humans for thousands of years. The earliest known paper, made from papyrus plants, was made by the Egyptians in 2,200 BC. The Chinese invented a different method of papermaking more than 2,000 years ago. Chinese papermakers made paper from rags, hemp and the bark of mulberry trees. The idea spread first to the Middle East and eventually was introduced to Europe in the 12th century. For many centuries, European paper was made by hand from rags and straw, but as the world demand for paper grew, ground wood chips became the main source of fibre. With the introduction of mechanised papermaking machines in the 18th century, paper became a cheap and readily available material.
Manufacture from virgin materials
The main raw material for paper today is wood pulp derived from wood chips, either from short- fibred hardwoods (e.g. eucalypts) or long-fibred softwoods (e.g. pines). Some paper is made using cotton fibres. All paper and cardboard is made in much the same way. The wood chips are first treated to release the fibres in one of three ways: mechanical, chemical or a combination of mechanical and chemical processes. These processes produce an intermediate stage called pulp. To make paper, the pulp is mixed with water to make a slurry (mush) that is passed over a continuous, rapidly moving mesh. The water in the pulp is drawn through the mesh, leaving the fibres behind on the mesh. The damp paper is then passed over a series of rollers to flatten and dry it. In some cases, substances (e.g. starch) are added to the surface of the paper to give it special properties. At the end of the process, the paper is rolled onto huge spools. The paper or cardboard formed in this way is then sent to other factories where it is cut to the required size and shape. Corrugated cardboard is made by laminating a fluted sheet of cardboard between two flat sheets of cardboard.
Manufacture from recycled materials
Unlike the process of making paper from virgin materials, making paper from waste paper rarely requires chemical pre-treatment. The waste paper is mixed with water in a machine that looks like giant blender and converted into a thin slurry of individual fibres. This slurry is treated to remove contaminants such as plastic, string and paper clips using sophisticated screening techniques. It is then made into paper in the same way as making paper from virgin material.
In 1998–99, Australians used almost 3.5 million tonnes of paper, with almost 1.8 million tonnes of waste paper collected for recycling. Most of the waste paper came from packaging materials, with smaller amounts of newspaper, magazines and writing paper. (AMCOR)
In 1998–99, 85.9% of waste paper recycled in Australia was used to make packaging and industrial paper, with most of the remainder being used to make printing and writing paper,
16 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______tissues and newsprint. Small amounts were used for commercial grass seeding, insulation, animal bedding, kitty litter and moulded paper products, such as egg cartons, food trays and seedling pots.(AMCOR)
According to the Industry Commission, there are some limitations to paper recycling.
'Paper can be recycled into a wide variety of paper and other cellulose products. Contamination problems limit its reuse in food packaging such as milk cartons, and the degradation of fibres (during recycling) mean that used paper is generally ‘down graded’ as it is recycled. Thus, old newspapers cannot be used to produce high quality printing and writing papers, but they can be used in applications requiring mechanical pulp, such as newsprint and tissue.'
The degradation of fibres during recycling also limits the number of times that a particular paper fibre can be recycled. Adding some virgin fibre or good quality waste fibres to the recycled pulp can improve the quality of the recycled product.
Newspaper recycling
Although old newspapers have been used for many years to make packaging materials, until recently they were not used to make recycled newsprint. This was because of difficulties with the de-inking process.
According to the Publishers National Environment Bureau (PNEB), these difficulties have been resolved and a new de-inking and recycling plant in Albury, New South Wales is now producing newsprint (the paper used to make newspapers) using a mixture of old newspapers, magazines and virgin pulp. All newsprint manufactured in Australia now contains up to 40% recycled fibre. (PNEB)
In the de-inking process at this plant, soaps are used to remove the inks - the inky residue is used as a soil conditioner.
In 2001, around 494,000 tonnes of old newspapers were recycled, giving Australia a recycling rate of 72%. Many newspapers that were not collected for recycling were reused around homes to light fires, protect floors from paint or even as mulch in the garden. Old newspapers are recycled into a variety of products including new newsprint, cardboard and packaging, housing insulation and animal bedding. (PNEB)
Recycling tips
Which paper and cardboard can be recycled?
In most areas of Southern Tasmania, it is possible to recycle cardboard, newspaper and magazines. If a kerbside service operates in your area, you will need to separate cardboard from newspapers and magazines. Flatten each bundle and tie with string. The combined bundles should be no bigger then the recycling crate and should be placed next to the crate – not in it. For areas without a kerbside service, you may be able to separate and drop off your cardboard, newspaper and magazines at your nearest Waste Management Centre or Transfer Station – check with your local council.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
17 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
References AMCOR, 2000, pers. comm. Beverage Industry Environment Council 1996, Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis, June– September. BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council Industry Commission 1990, Interim Report on Paper Recycling. McGregor, P 1988, Paper, Learning Activity Topic, Centre for Economic Education. PNEB see Publishers National Environment Bureau Publishers National Environment Bureau, 2000, ANZECC Industry Waste Reduction Agreement Newsprint 2001-2005 – Report on Year 2.. Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Federation, 2000, pers. comm. Recycling and Resource Recovery Council 1994, Recycling and Resource Recovery in Victoria, Annual Report.
18 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.6 Plastics Recycling
Did you know?
• In 2000, over 37,000 tonnes of HDPE plastic and 23,113 tonnes of PET was recovered for recycling in Australia (Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association [PACIA] 2001). • Nationwide 124,110 tonnes of plastic was reprocessed in 2000. (PACIA 2001) • In 2002, 9.7% (by weight) of household garbage in Tasmania was made up of plastics. (Nolan-ITU 2002) • Recycling PET bottles saves 84% of the energy it takes to make PET bottles from raw materials (Grant T et al 1999)*
History of plastic
Plastic is a relatively new material. It was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1860 and has only been used widely in the past few decades. However, it has quickly become a popular material with over 1.5 million tonnes of plastic consumed in 2000 alone (PACIA 2001).
Manufacture from virgin materials
Plastics are made from crude oil, gas and coal. PACIA states that 'much of the raw material for plastics comes from waste in petroleum refining—some of which would otherwise be flared off and wasted'.
Plastics are polymers, that is, long chain molecules made from smaller molecules called monomers. The polymers are made in large vessels under special conditions of temperature and pressure, using special catalysts. At this stage, the polymers are in the form of resin pellets or powders.
There are about 40 different plastics or polymers used today. Each has a different chemical composition and set of properties that makes it suitable for certain applications.
Plastic products are made in three stages:
1. resin pellets or powders are heated to soften them 2. the softened material is formed into the required shape 3. product is cooled, retaining the shape.
There are several ways that plastic products are formed. These include injection moulding (for specially shaped objects, such as cups, toys and plumbing fittings), extrusion moulding (for plastic sheets, pipes and tubes) and blow moulding (to make bottles and drums). Other techniques are used to manufacture fibres, biscuit trays, margarine tubs and foam trays.
To help identify different plastics, manufacturers stamp a Plastics Identification Code on their products. This code is a number inside a triangle with chasing arrows. These codes only identify the product and do not indicate that the product can be recycled. The codes for the six most common plastics are shown in the table below.
Manufacture from recycled materials
Most plastics can be recycled, but due to the difficulty in collecting, sorting, cleaning and reprocessing, at present it is only economically viable to recycle three types of plastic from domestic sources:
19 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
• Code 1, PET (e.g. soft drink bottles) • Code 2, HDPE (e.g. milk and juice bottles) • Code 3, PVC (e.g. juice and cordial bottles)
Plastics collected for recycling must first be separated into polymer types. The codes help recycling contractors to sort the plastics. Bales of different types of plastic are then returned to factories for reprocessing. To reprocess the plastic:
• large contaminants are manually removed • the plastics are either shredded, chopped or ground and then washed to remove further contaminants • the material is dried and formed into pellets or powder, ready for remaking into new plastic products.
Recycling tips
Which types of plastics can be recycled?
In Southern Tasmania, it is possible to recycle plastic food and beverage containers with the symbols 1, 2**, and 3** on the bottom. Return plastic supermarket bags to those supermarkets that collect them.
How to prepare plastic bottles for recycling
Before putting your plastic containers out for collection or taking them to a drop-off centre, it is important to:
• Rinse bottles. To conserve water, wash plastic bottles in used dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables. • Remove lids or caps (place these in with your garbage) • Squash bottles
Some uses for plastics and recycled plastics in Australia
Plastic Name of Description Some uses for Some uses for plastic Identification plastic virgin plastic made from recycled Code waste plastic
polyethylene Clear, tough Soft drink and Soft drink bottles, (multi- terephthalate plastic, may mineral water and mono-layer) PET be used as a bottles, filling for detergent bottles, clear fibre. sleeping bags and film for packaging, pillows, textile carpet fibres, fleecy fibres. jackets.
high density Very common Crinkly shopping Compost bins, detergent polyethylene plastic, bags, freezer bags, bottles, crates, mobile HDPE usually white milk and cream rubbish bins, agricultural or coloured. bottles, bottles for pipes, pallets, kerbside shampoo and recycling crates. cleaners, milk crates.
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unplasticised Hard, rigid Clear cordial and Detergent bottles, tiles, polyvinyl plastic, may juice bottles, blister plumbing pipe fittings. chloride be clear. packs, plumbing UPVC pipes and fittings.
plasticised Flexible, Garden hose, shoe Hose inner core, polyvinyl clear, elastic soles, blood bags industrial flooring. chloride plastic. and tubing. PPVC
low density Soft, flexible Lids of icecream Film for builders, polyethylene plastic. containers, garbage industry, packaging and LDPE bags, garbage bins, plant nurseries, bags. black plastic sheet.
polypropylene Hard, but Ice-cream Compost bins, kerbside PP flexible plastic containers, potato recycling crates, worm - many uses. crisp bags, drinking factories. straws, hinged lunch boxes.
polystyrene Rigid, brittle Yoghurt containers, Clothes pegs, coat PS plastic. May plastic cutlery, hangers, office be imitation crystal accessories, spools, clear,glassy. 'glassware'. rulers, video/CD boxes.
expandable Foamed, Hot drink cups, polystyrene lightweight, takeaway food EPS energy containers, meat absorbing, trays, packaging. thermal insulation
other Includes all other plastics, including acrylic and nylon.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
SOURCES
Beverage Industry Environment Council 1998, Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council Gould League 1993, Plastic Recycling Kit. Grant T, James K, Dimova C, Sonnefield K, & Lundies S 1999, Stage 1 Report for the Life Cycle Assessment of Packaging Waste Management in Victoria, Research report by the Centre for Design at RMIT, the Centre for Packaging, Transport and Storage at Victoria University and the CRC for Waste Management and Pollution Control, November, 1999. PACIA see Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association 1992, Manufacturing Plastics, and information brochures. Recycling and Resource Recovery Council 1994, Recycling and Resource Recovery in Victoria, Annual Report.
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*Study limited to metropolitan areas. When modelled for rural locations, energy savings decrease due to an increase in transport requirements, however, the rural results are still positive.
** Coloured HDPE (2) and PVC (3) may be recyclable, but check first with your local Council.
22 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.7 Glass Recycling
Did you know?
• 14.1% of household garbage in Tasmania was made up of glass that could have been recycled in 2002. (Nolan-ITU, 2002) • In 1998, the recycling rate for glass for Australia was 44% (ACI Glass Packaging, 2000) • Recycling glass saves 74% of the energy it takes to make glass from raw materials. (Grant T et al 1999)*
History of glass
Glass is one of the most ancient and useful materials known to human societies. The discovery of glass dates back to the Phoenicians more than 5,000 years ago. It is believed that the Egyptians invented the technique of hand blowing glass bottles in the first century BC. For 2,000 years, hand blowing continued to be the principal way of making glass bottles. However, during the last hundred years or so, mechanised glass blowing techniques have revolutionised the production of glass containers, allowing bottles to be produced quickly and cheaply. Today, glass containers are widely used to package a huge array of foods and drinks.
Manufacture from virgin materials
The three main raw materials used to make glass containers were sand (to provide silica), soda ash (to reduce the melting point) and limestone (to increase hardness). Now, crushed glass, called cullet, is the major raw material for glass manufacturing in Australia. Other ingredients are used in small amounts, the proportions of each depending on the type of glass required.
To make glass containers the mix of ingredients, known as a batch, is fed continuously into furnaces and melted at about 1,500oC. The molten glass from the furnaces is then conveyed to moulding machines where globules of glass are dropped into moulds. Air is blown into the hot globules to form bottles, which are cooled slowly and then dispatched to bottling plants for filling.
Manufacture from recycled materials
Bottles and jars collected in recycling schemes are sorted manually at recycling depots into clear, amber and green glass. Containers of different coloured glass are then taken to a beneficiation plant to upgrade the quality of the waste glass before reprocessing. At these plants, contaminants such as metals, plastic, china, ceramics and stones are removed, and the glass is crushed. The cullet is transported to the glassmaking factory where it is used with the other batch materials to make new glass containers.
According to ACI Glass Packaging, new glass bottles may be made with up to 100% cullet. However, 'the actual percentage depends on the quality and quantity of cullet available'. (ACI Glass Packaging 2000)
Using cullet has real environmental and economic benefits, offering energy savings and helping to save resources. Each tonne of cullet saves 1.1 tonnes of raw materials.
Lightweighting
Glass manufacturers today make glass bottles that are much lighter than bottles made in previous years. This process, called ‘lightweighting’, saves considerable amounts of energy and raw materials.
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ACI Glass Packaging state that a ‘stubby’ beer bottle made in 1986 weighed 260 g, but by 1997 the same size ‘stubby’ weighed only 180 g, which is a reduction of 31%.
Recycling tips
What types of glass can be recycled?
• All clear, green and amber glass bottles, e.g. soft drink, mineral water, wine, beer • All glass jars • Clear glass sauce bottles
What types of glass cannot be recycled in kerbside collections?
• Broken window glass and broken windscreen glass. • Heat-treated glass, e.g. Corning Ware, Pyrex or Vision Ware • Light globes • White opaque bottles • Laboratory and medical glass • Do not include china, ceramic bottles or stones with glass bottles and jars in your recycling because it can lead to the rejection of thousands of bottles and jars collected for recycling.
How to prepare glass for recycling
1. Remove lids or caps 2. Rinse bottles and jars. To conserve water, wash bottles and jars in used dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
References
ACI Glass Packaging 1997, poster and brochure Beverage Industry Environment Council 1998,Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council Grant T, James K, Dimova C, Sonnefield K & Lundies S 1999, Stage 1 Report for the Life Cycle Assessment of Packaging Waste Management in Victoria, Research report by the Centre for Design at RMIT, the Centre for Packaging, Transport and storage at Victoria University and the CRC for Waste Management and Pollution Control, November 1999. * Study limited to metropolitan areas, when modelled for rural locations energy savings decrease due to an increase in transport requirements, however, the rural results are still positive.
24 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.8 Steel Can Recycling
Did you know?
• In 2002, 2.8% of household garbage in Tasmania was made up of steel that could have been recycled. (Nolan-ITU, 2002) • In 1999 the recycling rate for steel cans in Australia was 40%. (BHP 1999) • In 1999 each Australian threw away 6.5kg of small steel products and steel cans. (BHP 1999) • Recycling steel cans saves 87% of the energy it takes to make the cans from raw materials, ie. iron ore and coal. (Grant T et al 1999)*
History of steel
Steel is a relatively new material, unlike cast iron, and it was first made from small amounts of iron in 1740. In the mid 1800s, processes were developed for large-scale steel production.
The tin-plated steel can is widely used as a strong container for preserving foods. It was invented by Durand in 1810 and the first cannery opened in London soon after. Cans were made by hand until the late 1800s when can-making machines were developed.
Manufacture from virgin materials
The first step in steel production is making molten cast iron by heating a mixture of coke, iron ore and limestone (flux) in a blast furnace. The cast iron produced is converted to steel using the basic oxygen steel-making process (BOS).
During this process, the iron from the blast furnace is heated to about 1,700 °C. Up to 20% of scrap steel is also added to control furnace temperature. In the BOS furnace, oxygen is blown over the molten surface, which removes impurities and a certain level of carbon from the iron.
Steel can also be made in electric arc furnaces and processed in mini mills. These mills use electricity to melt scrap steel, which is then cast into slabs and further processed into other steel products.
BOS is the preferred method for making coils of steel suitable for manufacturing tin-plated steel cans. A BOS furnace melts the metal to form liquid steel that is cast into slabs and hot strip rolled into coils. The coils are cleaned and then cold rolled into gauges that are suitable for applying a thin layer of tin via electrolysis. The end product, called tinplate, is used to make steel cans.
Tin prevents corrosion of the steel surface, which makes it suitable for packaging food, pet food, aerosols, paints, juice and many other products.
Manufacture from recycled materials
Steel cans from kerbside collections are taken to recycling sorting centres where they are separated either by hand or with magnets. The cans are then baled and sent to either:
1. The BHP steel works at Wollongong, the Sydney Steel Mill or Whyalla, where the cans are used to make new steel. 2. A de-tinning plant at Port Kembla in NSW, where the cans are de-tinned before being made into new steel in an integrated steel plant.
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Recycling tips
What steel cans are recyclable?
Steel cans that are accepted for recycling include food and pet food cans, coffee, oil, paint and aerosol cans, bottle tops and jam jar lids. Remove any plastic caps
How to prepare steel cans for recycling
1. Remove the lid completely. 2. Rinse the can and lid. To conserve water, wash steel cans in used dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables. 3. Place the lids inside the can. (Place bottle tops and jam jar lids inside as well) 4. Press the can flat near the top of the can to save space. Put can out for collection or take to your nearest drop-off centre.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
References
Beverage Industry Environment Council 1998, Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council BHP Steel brochures 1993 and 1997. BHP Steel information 2000. Grant T, James K, Dimova C, Sonnefield K & Lundies S 1999, Stage One Report for Life Cycle Assessment of Packaging Waste in Victoria, Research Report by the Centre for Design and Storage at Victoria University; and the CRC for Waste Management and Pollution Control, November 1999. Recycling and Resource Recovery Council 1994, Recycling and Resource Recovery in Victoria, Annual Report. *Study limited to metropolitan areas, when modelled for rural locations energy savings decrease due to an increase in transport requirements, however, the rural results are still positive.
26 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.9 Aluminium Can Recycling
Did you know?
• Australians consumed over 2.7 billion aluminium cans in 2000. • Aluminium cans are Australia's most recycled beverage container, with a national recovery rate of 70% in 2000. This figure means that 70% of all used cans were recycled. • Recycling aluminium saves a significant amount of energy. Making aluminium cans from recycled aluminium cans uses only 5% of the energy to make the cans from the ore, bauxite. (Comalco 1992) • Making a tonne of aluminium cans from recycled cans saves 5 tonnes of bauxite. (Comalco 1992)
History of aluminium
Today we think of aluminium as a familiar and common metal. Yet unlike metals such as iron, bronze and copper, it has only been possible to make aluminium since the early to mid- nineteenth century. Aluminium has only been used for drink cans in Australia for about 20 years.
Australia has large reserves of bauxite, the ore from which aluminium is made, and is the world's fifth largest producer of aluminium. In 2001, Australia mined 53.2 million tonnes of bauxite and produced over 1.7 million tonnes of aluminium. (Australian Aluminium Council)
Manufacture
Refining and smelting
Bauxite is the raw material used to produce aluminium. Bauxite is generally a mixture of aluminium oxides, iron oxides and clays. The first stage is to remove alumina (a white sandy powder consisting of aluminium oxide) from the bauxite by dissolving it in liquid caustic soda. The residues, which are insoluble in the caustic, are removed and collected. These residues are used as mud bricks or as aggregate for road foundations.
The alumina is then removed from the liquid caustic. The solution is cooled until crystals form and the crystals are washed, dried and sent to smelters.
The final stage in the production of aluminium is the smelting of alumina into metal. Smelting is the process of removing oxygen from the alumina to produce pure aluminium. Smelting takes place in furnaces known as reduction cells. The alumina is fed into a reduction cell at high temperatures along with sodium aluminium fluoride, known as cryolite. An electric current is passed through the mixture, splitting the oxygen from the alumina and leaving the molten aluminium metal.
Casting and rolling
Pure molten aluminium is cast into ingots or mixed with small amounts of other metals, such as silicon, to form alloys. Ingots are cast using the direct chill method. In this process, molten aluminium flows from the furnace through a series of treatments to remove gas and other impurities. The molten aluminium then flows into a mould to make it into an ingot shape.
Ingots can be rolled between large rollers to produce products such as foil. Before rolling commences, ingots are heated to about 500oC to make them easier to roll.(Adapted from Aluminium Cycle section, Aluminium Can Group website)
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Manufacture from recycled materials
Aluminium cans that have been collected for recycling are first sorted and then baled into bricks. The bricks are transported to processing plants where they are fed into rotary furnaces which melt the aluminium in temperatures as high as 780 oC. The molten material is 'topped up' with other metals like magnesium, so that is the right consistency to make new beverage cans. The molten aluminium is then cast into ingots which are sent to rolling mills where they are remade into new cans. In some cases, the recycled cans are reprocessed into other aluminium products.
Used aluminium cans that are recycled in Australia are usually recycled back into cans. The aluminium does not 'degrade' during the recycling process, which means it can be recycled over and over again. The energy needed to make one new aluminium can is the same as the energy needed to recycle twenty aluminium cans. (Adapted from Alcoa Australia)
Recycling tips
What types of aluminium can be recycled?
• Aluminium soft drink and beer cans.
How to prepare aluminium cans for recycling
1. Rinse cans. To conserve water, rinse cans in used dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables. 2. Do not add foreign objects, such as stones, to the cans as they can interfere with the recycling process.
Fact sheets developed by the Gould League, in consultation with EcoRecycle Victoria, http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
References
Alcoa and Comalco brochures Aluminium Can Group website
28 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.10 Milk and Juice Carton Recycling
Did you know?
• 0.4% of household garbage in Tasmania in 2002 was made up of liquidpaperboard cartons that could have been recycled. (Nolan-ITU, 2002) • The recycling rate for liquid paperboard cartons for Australia was 14% in 1997. (Association of Liquidpaperboard Carton Manufacturers [ALCM]) • A further 7% reduction in weight per carton has been achieved since 1990. Making cartons lighter means that they take less energy to transport and require less energy to refrigerate. (ALCM) • About 5 sheets of office paper can be made from a recycled milk carton. (ALCM)
History
Milk and juice cartons have been used for more than forty years. Cartons are now being used to package a wide range of foods including: cream, custard, flavoured milks, sauces, detergents, soups, wine, oil and cereal grains.
Manufacture from virgin materials
There are two basic types of cartons: gable top and aseptic bricks.
Gable top cartons
These cartons are made from a layer of board sandwiched between two layers of very thin plastic. The manufacturers state that the board is 'made from the waste products of the sawn timber industry using working forests that are replanted. No Australian native or rainforest timbers are used'.
Although the contents of these cartons are pasteurised before packaging, the cartons still need to be refrigerated. Some gable top cartons used for packaging fruit juice have an additional layer of foil and a third layer of plastic. These extra layers improve the shelf life and retain flavours.
Aseptic bricks
Aseptic bricks (UHT or long life packs) are a newer type of carton and are made from five layers: three of plastic, one of foil and one of board. The products in the cartons are sterilised before being packaged and, as the cartons fully seal the contents, they do not need to be refrigerated before opening. This results in savings in energy during storage and transport.
Manufacture from recycled materials
After collection, the cartons are baled at recycling depots and then trucked to a paper recycling factory in Nowra, New South Wales. The cartons are debaled, checked for contamination and placed with water in a machine called a hydrapulper (like a giant blender). In this machine, the cartons are broken up and the plastic and foil separates from the paper fibres. Paper is extracted
29 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______and filtered to remove minor contaminants and can be used directly, without bleaching, to make high quality recycled office and copy paper.
The residual mixture is fed into a huge rotating drum with mesh on the outside. Water passes through the mesh, leaving the plastic and foil behind. As the rotating drum slopes downwards, the plastic and foil continues to move along the drum until it falls into a pit, where it is collected, baled and finally discarded. The water is recovered and reused.
Recycling tips
Which cartons can be recycled?
• All gable top milk and juice cartons. • Brick shaped cartons eg, long life milk and juices.
How to prepare cartons for recycling
1. Rinse cartons. To conserve water, wash cartons in used dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables. 2. Flatten the cartons. 3. Place flattened cartons inside an open carton. You should be able to insert at least six 1- litre cartons inside a open one, even more if you top and tail them.
Other uses for cartons
Cartons other than the Aseptic type (see above) can be placed in compost bins because they are made of paper (ALCM website). Under ideal conditions, the cardboard in the cartons should break down in 3 months. The plastic, being very thin and unstabilised, breaks up into small pieces.
Milk cartons can also be reused:
• for growing seedlings • as tree guards • for craft activities • as pencil holders (try decorating with stickers or wrapping paper) • for storing waste cooking fat.
Sources
ALCM see Association of Liquidpaperboard Carton Manufacturers Association of Liquidpaperboard Carton Manufacturers brochures. Association of Liquidpaperboard Carton Manufacturers website < http://www.alc.asn.au/> Beverage Industry Environment Council 1997, Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis, June– September. BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council Resource Recovery Council 1994, Recycling and Resource Recovery in Victoria, Annual Report.
30 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.11 Home Composting?
What is composting?
Composting is the natural breakdown of food and green (garden) waste, in a large container or heap, through the actions of naturally occurring bacteria and other agents.
Why Compost?
Most of the Australia’s soils are deficient in nutrients and organic matter, containing 1% or less of organic carbon material.
You can compost most of your organic wastes, with these advantages:
• Improved soil water holding capacity and reduced evaporation; • Reduced fluctuations in soil moisture and temperature; • Reduced surface hardening and loss of soil via run-off; • Improved plant growth with increased yield; • Effective weed control and reduced need for herbicides; and • Faster plant establishment and earlier crops. Types of Decomposition Before choosing a composting system for your home, it is important to understand the types of decomposition that can occur in a compost heap or bin. • Aerobic decomposition – with air (preferred) In aerobic decomposition, the micro-organisms that thrive on oxygen break down the organic waste into water, carbon dioxide. This process is relatively rapid and can cause the heap to become hot. Compost piles need to be turned regularly to get air to the micro-organisms. Aerobic decomposition provides an earthy smell. Adding compost worms to compost bins can also help to aerate the organic material. Composting with worms produces less heat and can take longer, but the product is regarded as more desirable. • Anaerobic decomposition – without air Anaerobic decomposition occurs without oxygen. This process is quite slow, provides an incomplete breakdown and is generally undesirable as it can give off unpleasant odours such as ammonia and, more importantly methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Anaerobic decomposition is not recommended for home composting. Compost Containers and Heaps There are many compost systems available on the market to choose from, that cater for all budgets, so it is important to select a container that suits your conditions. To find out more, visit your local garden supply centre or hardware store. Some councils offer a free information service to residents, so check with them also.
31 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______1, 2, 3 of Composting
First, choose a shady spot in the garden for your compost bin, enclosure or heap. Too much sun will dry out your compost. Then set up a separate bin in the kitchen for food scraps.
You need three essential ingredients to make compost:
1. Food 2. Air 3. Water
1. Food
Your compost will require a combination of “brown” and “green” materials from both the kitchen and garden. The following materials are examples of the types of things you can feed a compost system:
Green: Green leaves, grass clippings, plant/shrub cuttings, dead flowers, coffee grounds, tea leaves and bags, fruit and vegetable scraps.
Brown: Dry leaves, woodchips/sawdust, straw, autumn leaves, ash, dolomite, shredded newspaper, shredded prunings.
Generally, green materials have relatively high levels of nitrogen and low levels of carbon, while brown materials have higher levels of carbon. Too much nitrogen will make the compost hot, killing the compost microbes. With too little nitrogen, the compost will not heat up.
As a rule of thumb mix about equal weights of brown and green material.
Avoid composting the following materials, as these may attract vermin, or create unhealthy compost:
• Animal fat • Cat and dog droppings • Bread and cake • Bones • Diseased plants • Large branches • Noxious weeds • Magazines • Meat and dairy products • Metals, plastics and glass • Sawdust from treated timbers
2. Air
Air helps to speed up the composting process, while at the same time, reducing unpleasant odours.
The easiest way to get air into your compost is to turn the heap regularly. You can also add twigs and newspaper into the mix to increase airspace, or add compost worms.
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3. Water
The microbes breaking down the compost require water to survive. Therefore, ensure that the compost is as moist as a wet sponge, so that the surface of the pile glistens. If the pile is too wet, the ingredients become heavy, preventing air from entering the pile.
By paying attention to these 3 simple requirements, you will have dark, crumbly compost that is ready to be used within 3-6 months. Dig it into your garden beds or spread it on top of an established garden as mulch.
Health Precautions with Compost
Compost is produced from natural materials and contains a variety of living organisms. On rare occasions, these organisms have been associated with illness and allergies in humans. For health reasons, it is very important to take the following health precautions when handling compost:
• Protect your hands by wearing gloves • Wash your hands after handling compost or soil materials • Avoid confined spaces for handling compost or soil materials • Keep compost moist to prevent spores or bacteria from becoming airborne • Gently moisten dry compost to allow dust-free handling. • Avoid inhalation of dry compost; it may be necessary to wear a face mask when working with dry compost. Severely affected individuals may have to avoid contact with compost altogether. Elderly gardeners should be especially careful when working with compost.
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Fixing Composting Problems
My compost pile smells bad……………………
If the pile smells like sulphur (rotten eggs), it is too wet. Mix in dry ingredients, such as soil, dried leaves and shredded newspaper. If the pile smells like ammonia (acidic), it has too much green waste. Add ‘brown’ materials such as ash, dolomite, sawdust or newspaper. Turn the pile to push air through the heap, which will help with the immediate odour problems. Also mix in materials that do not compact, such as green twigs and plant stems. These will help to create more air spaces.
My compost pile will not heat up……………………….
Check the moisture level of the pile. It should be about as moist as a well-wrung sponge. Add more ‘green’ materials (eg. fresh grass or vegetable scraps or blood and bone). Increase the size of your pile. The pile should be at least 1 m3 in size. Smaller heaps will not heat up.
My compost pile attracts animals and flies………………………
Most flies in a compost heap are small, harmless vinegar flies that actually indicate that your compost is working properly. However, if dogs, cats, rodents or blowflies are attracted to your pile, it is usually because unsuitable materials have been added. They may also be attracted to the warmth of the pile. Do not add meat, fish, bones, dairy products or oily or greasy food. Cover each addition of food with a layer of soil. Turn the pile regularly to keep the speed up the composting process. Place the bin on a layer of wire mesh. Set rodent traps around the bin.
My compost pile attracts ants and is dry to touch…………………….
The pile may be drying out, which is especially likely to happen in Australian summers! Gently moisten the pile, adding water until it is as wet as a wrung-out sponge and add moisture-rich ingredients.
My compost pile takes too long to break down……………………...
The pile might be too dry. Moisten the pile with water until it is as wet as a wrung-out sponge. sponge. The pile might not have the right mixture of 'browns' and 'greens'. Add moisture-rich and nitrogen- rich fruit and vegetable scraps to speed up the process. The pile might not have enough air. Turn the pile to push air through the heap. Mix in materials that do not compact, such as green twigs and plant stems. These will help to create more air spaces.
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How To Build A Worm Farm
Feeding fruit and vegetable scraps to earthworms is a cheap and simple way of recycling food and garden waste. Worm castings make a great fertiliser for gardens. Worm farms are ideal for people living in flats or houses with small backyards and for dealing with lunch scraps at the office. Worm farms use special earthworms called compost worms that thrive in the warm, rich, moist environment of the worm farm. The most common compost worms re Tiger Worms, Red Wrigglers and Indian Blues and they can eat about half of their body weight in one day. The population in a well maintained worm farm doubles every two to three months. Many Schools prefer to purchase worm farms (the stackable variety, that can remain both inside and out, depending on the situation), particularly if there is a vermin problem. Worm farming in this way will not produce the large quantities of compost that you would otherwise get through other traditional composting systems. However, these systems are popular for the mere fact that they are portable, relatively odour free, make great educational aids, but more importantly, if operated correctly, can model the correct methods of composting – plus the kids love the worms!
What You Will Need to Build a Simple Worm Farm • A container for the worm farm. There are many types of suitable containers for keeping worms, from simple polystyrene or wooden boxes from the fruit shop, to stackable worm farms and plastic worm factories which can be bought. The container must have drainage holes. A polystyrene foam fruit box about 28 cm high with drainage holes box is ideal for a first worm farm. • At least 2,000 compost worms. These worms will breed and multiply to about 8,000 worms in 6 months. There are many companies that sell compost worms. • Three sheets of newspaper. • A bucketful of ‘bedding’ material, which is a blend of partly decomposed compost, straw, grass clippings or shredded paper or leaf mould. • A suitably sized loose cover, such as hessian. If you do not have hessian, you could use a sheet of cardboard or even a whole newspaper. • Fruit and vegetable scraps from your kitchen. • Two bricks to support the box. • To buy worms or worm farms, consult the Yellow Pages under 'Worm Farms'. Some local councils also sell worm farms. Contact your local council for more information. Method • Choose a shady spot outdoors for your worm farm, preferably on a spot with good drainage. Tree roots or grass runners may invade open based worm farms seeking out water and nutrients. To avoid this problem, place the worm farm on a plastic sheet. • Line your container with a few sheets of dampened newspaper.
35 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
• Half fill the container with bedding mix that is moist but not soggy. Bedding mix can consist of compost, grass clippings and shredded paper. It is important to provide a bedding mix that is not as fresh as the main food source. The best material for this is well-rotted compost, which is a great way to use compost produced from garden waste. Prop the container on bricks to make sure the drainage holes are clear. • Add the compost worms. • Cover the container with a layer of hessian and water till moist but not wet. • Add fruit and vegetable scraps each week. Add a small amount of food in the first week and over 6 months gradually increase the amount. A worm farm with a surface area of one metre square and around 10,000 worms will eat about 10 kg of food waste each week. Worms will breed and grow in direct proportion to the feed provided and the size of the worm farm. It is best to feed your worms weekly. If uneaten food remains, then you know you have overfed the worms. • After feeding the worms, cover the food scraps with some compost or soil to avoid attracting vinegar flies. • Add water every few days or when necessary to prevent the worm farm from drying out. More water may need to be added on hot, windy days. It is important to keep the worm farm moist, as the worms may die if it dries out. However, the worm farm should not be soggy either. Remember, there is moisture in the food scraps. • After 6 months, it may be necessary to start another worm farm, either by starting the whole process in another container, or, if using a box with holes in the bottom, by placing the second box on top of the first and only putting food scraps in the top box. The worms will migrate through the holes to the top box to feed. • To collect the worms from an established worm farm, remove the castings and place on a piece of shade cloth held over a tray. The worms will migrate through the cloth onto the tray below. • The worm castings can be used in the garden in the same way as compost or mixed with commercial potting mixes to pot plants. However, do not remove all of the castings as the worms need a good bedding mix for breeding. What to Feed the Worms Worms will eat almost any type of vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grindings, paper, leaves and even damp cardboard. Do not add onions or too much acidic food like oranges, mandarins or pineapples. Avoid materials contaminated with toxic chemicals, for example, sawdust from treated wood. Chop up food before adding and try to feed the worms a mix of materials. Worm Facts There are 350 species of earthworms in Australia and most of those found on farms and in gardens are introduced species. Compost worms are rare in the bush because the conditions are not suitable. Compost worms are a special type of earthworm. They are generally more active than normal earthworms, they thrive in the rich, moist and warm environment of a worm farm and can eat about half their body weight in one day. The population in a well maintained worm farm doubles every two to three months. Earthworms are hermaphrodites, which means each worm has female and male sex organs, so every worm can have babies. But reproduction can only occur between two mature worms of the same species.
36 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
After mating, both earthworms form a capsule (or cocoon) containing up to 20 eggs. Even though each mature compost worm might mate every 7 to 10 days and produce about 4 to 20 capsules a week, only 3 of these capsules produce babies. Each capsule produces around 4 baby worms, which makes a total of 12 babies per adult per week. Babies hatch after about 30 days and are ready to breed 55 to 70 days later. Earthworm eggs can survive in very dry conditions for a long time. The babies usually hatch when the soil becomes moist. Although earthworms do not have eyes, they sense light as well as vibrations and temperature through special organs in their skin. You can also add compost worms to standard compost bins or heaps, as long as you do not let the contents of the bin get too hot. Note Using worm castings is like any other gardening activity, so wear your gardening gloves and wash hands thoroughly after handling materials. The information on worm farms is varied. This page is based on commonly accepted practice.
37 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.12 Resources for Waste Minimisation and Litter
Selected Books
• Applehof M 1982, Worms Eat My Garbage, Flower Press.
• Applehof M, Fenton MF & Harris BL 1993, Worms Eat Our Garbage, Flower Press.
• Armstrong P & Laffin J 1993, Waste Matters - Environmental Education Activities about Waste, Gould League of Vic. Inc.
• Christenson C & McLachlan S 1994, The RELN Worm Factory - Education Booklet, RELN Pty. Ltd.
• CSIRO Division of Soils 1986, Earthworms for Gardeners and Fishermen, Discovery Soil Series, No. 5.
• CSIRO Division of Soils 1990, Composting; Making Soil Improver from Rubbish, Discovery Soil Series, No. 3.
• CSIRO 1994, Worms Worms Worms. (Poster)
• EcoRecycle Victoria 1998, Waste Wise Schools Kit, EcoRecycle Victoria
• Environment Protection Authority (Vic.) 1991, Packaging, What a Waste? A Kit for Post Primary Schools on Packaging and the Environment, Pub. No. 287.
• Gilbert A 1992, No Garbage, Thomas C Lothian Pty Ltd
• Gould League of Victoria 1993, Gough N 1992, Blueprints for Greening School, Gould League of Victoria.
• Laffin J & Armstrong P 1996, Composting Made Easy For Schools: Composting, Mulching and Wormeries.
• O’Brien T 1992, Garbage, Gums and Greenhouse, Songtape, Gould League of Vic., Inc.
• O’Brien T 1998, Blatto and Lu's Big Day Out, Gould League of Vic., Inc.
• O’Brien T 1998, The Great Litter Hunt, Songtape, Gould League of Vic., Inc.
• MacLean R, Armstrong P & Winters RJ 1997, Compost Activities for Schools, Gould League.
• Murdoch K 1992, Integrating Naturally, Units of Work for Environmental Education, Dellasta Pty. Ltd.
• Murdoch K 1993, New Springboards: Ideas for Environmental Education, Thomas Nelson, Australia.
• Nunes K 1998, The Good Compost Guide: A Directory of Compost Bins and Wormeries, Gould League and EcoRecycle Victoria.
38 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
• Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage 1991, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, a Source Book, Preschool to Year 3, Years 4 to 7 and Years 8 to 10.
• Winters RJ & Grant J 1997, Compost Creatures, (Poster), Gould League of Vic., Inc.
• Winters RJ & O'Brien T 1998, The Great Litter Hunt - Activities for Blatto and Lu's Big Day Out, Gould League of Vic., Inc.
Videos
• Applehoff M, Wormania
• Auseon 1993, 10 Million Bottles Get a Second Chance.
• The Complete Guide to Composting with Peter Rutherford and Rebecca Le Tourneau. 1995 (From Environmental Media Resources, 290 Albert Road, Avalon Beach, NSW 2107 Tel/Fax (02) 918 0879 Cost $29.95 RRP.
• BHP 1995, It’s In the Can.
• EcoRecycle Victoria 2000, Your Planet, Your Choice
• Environment Protection Authority 1993, Composting - A Down to Earth Approach.
• Keep South Australia Beautiful, 1993, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle., KSAB.
• Visy Recycling, 2000, Harvesting the Urban Forest
CD Roms
• Connect, DEETYA ,City of Moreland & EcoRecycle Victoria 1996, Alphaville: an Eco Adventure
• Toushea Multimedia, Visy Recycling, BIEC, EcoRecycle Victoria 1997, Ollie Recycles.
• Sustain Ability International P/L 2002, Ollie Saves the Planet
39 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______3.13 Key Contacts Australian Vinyls Corporation (PVC recycling) The following organisations may be able to Leakes Road provide materials on waste minimisation, Laverton Vic 3028 recycling, packaging and litter. Tel. (03) 9360 0899 Fax. (03) 9368 4888 ACI Glass Packaging (Glass recycling) Beverage Industry Environment Council Branch Office (General recycling, litter) Booker Street Tel. 1300 785 502 Spotswood Vic 3015 Website www.biec.com.au Tel. (03) 9235 6211 Fax. (03) 9399 1392 BHP Packaging Products (Steel can recycling) ACI Petalite South Coast Locked Bag 8825 (PET recycling) South Coast Mail Centre NSW 2521 19 Maloney Drive Tel. 1800 064 384 Wodonga Vic 3630 Fax. 1800 800 744 Tel. (02) 6056 2344 Website www.cfis.com.au Fax. (02) 6056 2388 Brickwood Holdings Alcoa of Australia (HDPE recycling) (Aluminium recycling) 8 Brixton Road PO Box 460 Cheltenham Vic 3192 Geelong Vic 3220 Tel. (03) 9584 5211 Tel. (03) 5245 1777 Fax (03) 9583 6391 Fax. (03) 5245 1150 Website www.alcoa.com.au Classic Everwood Profiles Pty Ltd (Polystyrene recycling) AMCOR Paper Recycling PO Box 543 (Paper recycling) Warners Bay NSW 2282 626 Heidlberg Road Tel. (02) 4956 9749 Alphington Vic 3078 Fax. (02) 4954 4175 Tel. (03) 9490 3121 Website www.everwood.com.au Fax. (03) 9490 3211 Website www.alcoa.com.au Cleanaway (General recycling) Association of Liquidpaperboard Carton 123 Albert Road Manufacturers Moonah Tas 7009 (Milk and fruit juice carton recycling) Tel. 13 1339 Level 3, 15-17 Park Street Website www.cleanaway.com.au Melbourne Vic 3004 Tel. (03) 9698 4484 Collex Recycling Fax. (03) 9698 4485 (General recycling) 75 Mornington Road Australian Conservation Foundation Mornington Tas 7018 (Waste minimisation) Tel. (03) 6244 0000 340 Gore Street Fax. (03) 6244 0055 Fitzroy Vic 3065 E-mail [email protected] Tel. (03) 9416 1455 Website www.collex.com.au Fax. (03) 9416 0767 E-mail [email protected] Website www.acfonline.org.au
40 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
Department of Primary Industry, Water Private Bag 3 and Environment Altona Vic 3018 (State Government Body) Tel. (03) 9258 7333 1 Franklin Warf Fax. (03) 9258 7451 Hobart Tas 7000 GPO Box 44 Packaging Council of Australia Inc. Hobart 7001 (Packaging) Tel. 1300 368 550 15-17 Park Street Website www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au South Melbourne Vic 3205 Tel. (03) 9698 4278 Full Cycle Plastics Fax. (03) 9690 3514 (HDPE recycling) Website www.packcoun.com.au 8 Brixton Road Cheltenham Vic 3192 Plastics and Chemicals Industries Tel. (03) 9584 5211 Association (PACIA) Fax. (03) 9583 6391 (Plastics recycling) GPO Box 1610M Gould League WasteWise and Melbourne Vic 3001 Environment Education Centre Tel. (03) 9699 6299 (Recycling, waste minimisation, composting, Fax. (03) 9699 6717 litter) Genoa Street Publishers National Environment Bureau Moorabbin Vic 3189 (Newspaper recycling) Tel. (03) 9532 0909 PO Box 5359 Fax. (03) 9532 2860 Sydney NSW 2001 E-mail [email protected] Tel. (02) 9262 1164 Website www.gould.edu.au Fax. (02) 9262 6767 Website www.pneb.com.au ICI Plastics (PVC recycling) Vicfam Plastics Pty Ltd 1 Nicholson Street (LDPE, HDPE and cling recycling) Melbourne Vic 3000 433-451 Somerville Road Tel. (03) 9665 7111 West Footscray Vic 3012 Fax. (03) 9665 7937 Tel. (03) 9315 3421 Fax. (03) 9315 3485 KAAL Australia Website www.vicfam.com (Aluminium recycling) Point Henry Road Visy Recycling Point Henry Vic 3220 (Paper, cardboard, liquid paperboard, PO Box 460 plastics, glass, aluminium, steel recycling) Geelong Vic 3220 Education Centre Tel. (03) 5245 1777 13 Reo Crescent Fax. (03) 5245 1153 Campberfield Vic 3061 Tel. 1300 368 479 (03) 9247 4643 Fax. (03) 9247 4699 Website www.visy.com.au
Keep Australia Beautiful Council Tasmanian Environment Centre Inc. (Litter) (Educational Resources) 2/51 Salamanca Place 102 Bathurst Street Battery Point Tas 7000 Hobart Tas 7000 Tel. (03) 6224 8366 Tel. (03) 6234 5566 Kemcor (Plastics) Website www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/tec (HDPE recycling) 471-513 Kororoit Creek Road
41 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______4. Appendix
42 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Appendix A
Lesson Guide
43 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Appendix A Is This Recyclable in my Municipality?
Before undertaking this lesson, teachers are advised to check first with their local council, as to what is accepted for collection within their particular municipality. The Teacher’s worksheet gives a general overview; however, it might need to be modified to suit local conditions. It is also advisable that teachers read the accompanying fact sheets prior to the lesson.
Grade
Suitable for use from K-12
Materials
Cue cards Student and Teacher Worksheets Pencils/pens Clipboards
Objective
To give students a better understanding of:
• Recycling processes (particularly kerbside recycling) within their community. • Composition of Recyclables that make up the recycling stream. • Techniques for identifying non-recyclable materials. • “Closing the Loop” –the full cycle that each recyclable material takes from its initial production through to purchasing, recycling, reprocessing and back to purchasing again.
Method
Give students Student Worksheet (see Appendix B) (or for younger students, one can be made up by the teacher).
Instruct students to find the cue card that matches each of the descriptions on their worksheets.
Ask students to look at all the clues available to them on each of the cue cards (see Appendix D) (including knowledge they may already have), and instruct them to rate the items as being recyclable or non-recyclable within their municipality.
Bring all students together and work through and correct student worksheet. A brief description of each item is available on the teacher worksheet (see Appendix C), with a more comprehensive description available on the fact sheets.
44 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______
Outcomes
At the conclusion of this lesson each student will have the skills and knowledge to:
• Identify recyclable/ non-recyclable materials as pertaining to their local conditions, with a better understanding of “closing the loop” within the recycling industry. • Confidently share the knowledge and information gathered with others, either in their home environment or through the greater community.
______
45 Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Appendix B
Student Worksheet
46 Appendix B
Managing Waste in your Community Student Worksheet Item No. Description Is it recyclable? Is it recyclable? Yes No 1 Bathroom Cleaner 2 BBQ Sauce with Contents 3 Beer Can 4 Bleach Bottle 5 Stubbie 6 Broken Glass 7 Cardboard Bundled 8 Cat Food Tin 9 China Cup 10 Chocolate Topping 11 Flavoured Milk 12 Coffee Tin 13 Soft Drink Can 14 Conditioner Bottle 15 Cordial Bottle 16 Fly Spray 17 Glass Jar with Chemicals 18 Glass vase 19 Milk Bottle 20 Icecream Container 21 Juice Bottle 22 Juice Bottle with Lid Removed 23 Spray Paint Aerosol Can with Lid 24 Light Globe 25 Maple Syrup 26 Margarine Container 27 Milk Cartons 28 Spice Container 29 Mould Remover 30 NapiSan 31 Paint Tin (Empty) 32 Paint Tin (Full) 33 Newspapers & Magazines 34 Peach Tin with Lid 35 Peanut Butter Container with Lid 36 Pizza Box 37 Chip Container 38 Garden Spray 39 Soft Drink Bottle with Lid Removed 40 Spray Deodorant with Lid 41 Aerosol Can 42 Sunscreen 43 Takeaway Container 44 Toothpaste Tube 45 Transmission Fluid Bottle 46 Tuna Tin 47 Long-Life Milk 48 Refresher Towels 49 Wine Bottle Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Appendix C
Teacher Worksheet
47 Appendix C
Managing Waste in your Community
Teacher Worksheet
The following list is to be used as a guide only, and is applicable to most areas. However check first with your local council to find out what applies in your municipality Item No. Description Yes/No Reason 1 Bathroom Cleaner No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 2 BBQ Sauce with Contents Yes Glass is melted and re-used. but… Empty contents and remove lid first. 3 Beer Can Yes Metal is re-used to make more cans. 4 Bleach Bottle No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 5 Stubbie Yes Glass is melted and re-used. 6 Broken Glass No Drinking glass must not be recycled. It contaminates the melting process. 7 Cardboard Bundled Yes Provided it is flattened first. 8 Cat Food Tin Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal process. 9 China Cup No Pottery must not be recycled. It contaminates the melting process. 10 Chocolate Topping Yes Glass is melted and re-used. 11 Flavoured Milk Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make other plastic containers. 12 Coffee Tin Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal process. 13 Soft Drink Can Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal process. 14 Conditioner Bottle No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 15 Cordial Bottle Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make other plastic containers. 16 Fly Spray Yes All aerosol cans can be recycled, but plastic lids must be removed first. 17 Glass Jar with Chemicals No Glass has been contaminated with chemicals. 18 Glass Vase No Glass vases must not be recycled. It contaminates the melting process. 19 Milk Bottle Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make other plastic containers. 20 Icecream Container No Only plastics 1, 2 and 3 are presently recyclable in Tasmania. 21 Juice Bottle Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make other plastic containers. 22 Juice Bottle with Lid Removed Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make other plastic containers. 23 Spray Paint Aerosol Can Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal with Lid process. Remove lid first. 24 Light Globe No Light bulbs must not be recycled. They contaminate the recycling process.
Reproduced with permission from the Kingborough Council for use by teachers and educators Appendix C
25 Maple Syrup Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make other plastic containers. 26 Margarine Container No Only plastics 1, 2 and 3 are presently recyclable in Tasmania. 27 Milk Cartons Yes Must be flattened. 28 Spice Container Yes Cardboard is re-used 29 Mould Remover No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 30 NapiSan No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 31 Paint Tin (Empty) Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal process. 32 Paint Tin (Full) No Paint tin needs to be empty to be considered for recycling 33 Newspapers & Magazines Yes Must be flattened and bundled and not placed in plastic bags. 34 Peach Tin with Lid Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal process. 35 Peanut Butter Container with Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make lid other plastic containers. Remove lid. 36 Pizza Box Yes Flatten and bundle with cardboard. 37 Chip Container No Mixture of cardboard, plastic and aluminium. To difficult to separate out. 38 Garden Spray No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 39 Soft Drink Bottle with Lid Yes Plastic is melted and re-used to make Removed other plastic containers. 40 Spray Deodorant Yes All aerosol cans can be recycled but plastic lids must be removed first. 41 Aerosol Can Yes All aerosol cans can be recycled but plastic lids must be removed first. 42 Sunscreen No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 43 Takeaway Container No Only plastics 1, 2 and 3 are presently recyclable in Tasmania. 44 Toothpaste Tube No Only plastics 1, 2 and 3 are presently recyclable in Tasmania. 45 Transmission Fluid Bottle No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 46 Tuna Tin Yes Can be recycled in the normal metal process. 47 Long-Life Milk Yes Must be flattened first. 48 Refresher Towels No Plastic has been contaminated by chemicals. 49 Wine Bottle Yes Glass is melted and reused.
As a general rule, only plastic food and drink containers with the symbols 1, 2 and 3 can be recycled in Tasmania at present. Any plastic container that has contained oils such as vegetable oil, olive oil, etc, cannot be recycled, as they are considered contaminated
Reproduced with permission from the Kingborough Council for use by teachers and educators Managing Waste in your Community – Education Kit ______Appendix D
Cue Cards
48 Bathroom Cleaner BBQ Sauce with Contents
Glass Beer Can
Aluminium BathroomBleach Bottle
Coloured HDPE Stubbie
Glass BathroomBroken Glass
Glass Cardboard Bundle
Cardboard Cat Food Tin
Steel China Cup
Ceramic Chocolate Topping
Glass Flavoured Milk
HDPE Coffee Tin
Steel Soft Drink Can
Aluminium Conditioner Bottle
PET Cordial Bottle
PVC Flyspray
Steel Glass Jar with Chemicals
Glass Glass Vase
Glass Milk Bottle
HDPE Icecream Container
PP Juice Bottle
HDPE Juice Bottle with Lid removed
HDPE Spray Paint Aerosol can with Lid
Steel Light Globe Maple Syrup
PET Margarine Container
PP Milk Cartons
Liquid Paper Board Spice Container
Cardboard Mould Remover
Coloured HDPE Napisan
Coloured HDPE Paint Tin (Empty)
Steel Paint Tin (Full)
Steel Newspapers & Magazines
Paper Peach Tin with Lid
Steel Peanut Butter Container with Lid
PET Pizza Box
Cardboard Chip Container
Mixed Garden Spray
Coloured HDPE Soft Drink Bottle with Lid Removed
PET Spray Deodorant with Lid
Aluminium Aerosol Can
Steel Sunscreen BathroomTakeaway Container
PP Toothpaste Tube Transmission Fluid Bottle
HDPE Tuna Tin
Steel Long Life Milk
Liquid Paper Board Refresher Towels
Coloured HDPE Wine Bottle
Glass