Nearly half of Australians are confused about what can & cannot be recycled, leading to tonnes of renewable material being discarded as landfill. The problem is twofold. While some households bin recyclable items, others try to recycle what should be rubbish, ruining a neighbourhood's collection of material that could have been processed and reused. Contaminated, it ends up as landfill. A Planet Ark report says 99% of Australians believe recycling is important but 48% say they do not know how to do it properly. More than 70% wrongly think drinking glasses can be recycled. About 20% create havoc at recycling centres by tying their recyclables in plastic bags before leaving them by the kerb. Planet Ark MD Jon Dee said he was amazed at what people leave in recycling bins, including unwanted pets & dead sharks.
