Recycling in Australia is in crisis

Australians take recycling seriously.

We recycled 60 per cent of the total waste we produced in 2014-15, according to the latest national waste report.

For most of us, recycling means we put our waste in the yellow-top bin. That is then picked up, taken to a recycling facility and turned back into its basic material — plastic, glass, aluminium, paper.

But it turns out recycling is not so simple, and there are major problems in the Australian industry.

A Four Corners investigation last year and more recent Fairfax investigation found significant amounts of recyclable materials are being dumped in landfill.

And when China stopped taking Australia's recyclable plastics at the beginning of this year, it became apparent just how dependent our industry was on shipping our waste overseas.

Industry leaders admit Australia's recycling industry is in crisis, but they also say there are some very simple ways it can be fixed.

Read more...http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-03-03/recycling-industry-in-crisis-can-it-be-fixed/9502512