Tamworth residents have returned 50 million drink containers through the town’s Return and Earn depot, and the milestone will be marked with a community celebration during National Recycling Week.
The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW runs the drive-through depot, where people can unload unsorted containers and receive 10c per container straight to their bank account.
The celebration on Tuesday, 10 November will include a community barbecue, a coffee van, and prizes.
The milestone means more than less litter. As the return point operator, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW receives a handling fee for each container processed. That money goes towards local support programs, including food, clothing, household essentials, and housing assistance for people experiencing hardship.
Tamworth Regional Council is also adding a new piece of mobile recycling education equipment to its community toolkit during the week. Residents can look out for pop-up demonstrations around town highlighting local business recycling collaborations and green resource initiatives. Updates will be posted on the council’s waste and recycling portal.
In Armidale, residents can go behind the scenes at the Armidale Waste Management Facility to see what happens to local waste. Armidale Regional Council staff will explain why the region uses specific sorting crates and how materials are processed.
- When: Wednesday, 11 November, 10am
- Where: Armidale Waste Management Facility
- Registration: Required in advance through the Armidale Regional Council website
National Recycling Week runs from Monday, 9 November to Sunday, 15 November, with the theme “Join the Cycle”. This year marks 30 years since Planet Ark established the campaign in 1996.
It has been held in the second week of November every year since. The campaign aims to help people do the right thing at the bin and to build trust in recycling.
Planet Ark says recycling can be confusing, especially since China’s effective ban on recycling imports and media coverage of a “waste crisis”.
The week focuses on reducing waste, sorting bins correctly, keeping hazardous items like batteries out of general waste and recycling bins, and closing the loop by buying recycled products.
Buying products made with recycled content keeps materials in circulation for longer. That cuts the need to extract new raw materials, along with the water and energy used to make new products.
The campaign also promotes the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse, and recycle to ease the strain on finite resources.
Planet Ark says it is better to reuse than recycle, because reuse sits near the top of the hierarchy. Generally, the higher up the hierarchy, the bigger the benefit to the environment.
Every item shared, borrowed, donated, or bought second-hand reduces demand for new products. That in turn cuts the use of water, energy, fuel, and natural resources, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.
Reuse also extends the life of products, keeping them in use for as long as possible. Ways to reuse include:
- Shopping at or donating to charity op shops
- Hosting a swap party at home, at work, or with friends
- Borrowing tools, camping gear, or kitchen appliances from a tool library
- Buying and selling pre-loved goods through online marketplaces
- Repairing or upcycling old furniture
- Joining local community reuse programs
Planet Ark has tips and resources for getting involved at home, at work, at school, and in the community.
Councils and community groups running their own events can find infographics, social media content, and other material in the Resource Hub.
More information is available on the Recycling Near You website.
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