Paper & Cardboard.

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1 Paper & Cardboard Making paper and cardboard involves converting fibres from raw materials such as tress or plants into pulp, the pulp is then broken down either chemically or mechanically to make paper based products such as newspapers, office paper and packaging. Whilst Australians are currently leading the way in the use of recovered paper for paper production, there is more to be done! In , Australians consumed well over 4 million tonnes of paper, recycling just over half this amount for the local paper making industry or exporting internationally. Each tonne of paper recycled saves almost 13 trees, 2.5 barrels of oil, 4100kWh of electricity, 4 cubic metres of landfill and 31,780 litres of water. In 2009, paper and cardboard materials accounted for approximately 13% of the total rubbish collected on Clean up Australia Day. 17 trees can absorb the carbon dioxide emitted from your car each year; the CO 2 is trapped within the wood. What happens to paper and cardboard waste? Both paper and cardboard can be re-used to produce new materials. Veolia collects paper and cardboard and processes these materials at a recycling facility, commonly known as a materials recovery facility (MRF). Once these materials go through a MRF, they are sorted, the contaminants are removed, and then the recovered material is baled and sent either locally or exported internationally to make new products. Resources: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council; Publishers National Environment Bureau; Clean Up Australia Day; Visy Recycling.

2 General Recycling Recycling is the conversion of waste into a useable product, material or resource. With Australians currently one of the highest waste producers in the world, it is important that we continue to reduce, re-use and recycle our waste! In , 98% of Australian households participated in some form of recycling. The most common reason for households not recycling was that they were not interested, or it was too much effort. In , over 26 million tonnes of material was recycled across Australia, only 44% of all waste generated nationally. In 2001, over 60% of post consumer packaging was recycled in Australia. What happens to general waste? Veolia collects and disposes of general waste from businesses, local councils, residential addresses and industrial customers. General waste can be discarded in a variety of bins and receptacles. Once the general waste has been collected, it will be taken to either a conventional landfill or a bioreactor landfill. Resources: Australian Bureau of Statistics; Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; Australian Packaging Covenant.

3 Plastics Plastics are chains of molecules produced by smaller molecules called monomers. Plastics are made from our natural resources such as oil, gas or coal, therefore to reduce pressures on these limited resources and to create a more sustainable environment, it is a much better outcome to recycle plastics to produce new products. One common type of plastic is the infamous plastic bag which is used by over 80% of retailers within Australia. There are two types of plastic bags currently available: single use high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE). Whilst a plastic bag cannot be placed within a commingled receptacle, you can recycle this product by simply taking it back to your supermarket. Plastics have accounted for 30% of the total rubbish collected during Clean Up Australia Day since it began 10 years ago. The energy saved by recycling one plastic drink bottle would power a computer for approximately 25 minutes. The average plastic bag is used for only 5 minutes, yet can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment. It takes just four grocery trips for an average Australian family to accumulate 60 plastic shopping bags. What happens to soft plastics waste? All clean plastic collected by Veolia is delivered directly to an approved processing facility, such as a materials recovery facility (MRF). All contaminated plastic is delivered to one of our resource recovery facilities for processing. Resources: Clean Up Australia; Total Environment Care; Planet Ark; Say NO to plastic bags!; Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

4 Glass Glass is a non-crystalline solid material which has been around for thousands of years and is the oldest known form of packaging. Glass is produced from materials such as sand, limestone or soda ash however within Australia, glass is commonly made up of recyclable glass materials. For every tonne of glass recycled, there is a saving of approximately 225kg of carbon dioxide. It can take approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down within a traditional landfill. Within Australia, most glass products hold between 40-70% recyclable glass. Glass can be recycled indefinitely. Recycling glass can save between 25-30% of the energy used to make glass. What happens to glass waste? All separated glass is delivered directly to an approved processing facility such as a materials recovery facility (MRF). Veolia owns and operates several MRF s in Queensland and Tasmania. On the other hand, contaminated glass is delivered to one of our resource recovery facilities for processing. Resources: Planet Green Recycling; Planet Ark; Clean Up Australia Day.

5 Organics Organics materials are easily degradable and can include discarded fruit and vegetables, breads and baked products, as well as other uncontaminated organic products. Australians currently throw away more than $5.2 billion worth of food each year, with households wasting about $616 of food. Food waste is the second largest source of methane. 32% of available organic waste is recycled within Australia. Within an average kerbside garbage bin, about 40% is food and other organic material. The average NSW household throws out over $1000 of food per annum. What happens to organics waste? Organics material collected within Victoria and New South Wales is taken to Veolia s specific organics recovery facilities. Organics waste is processed at these facilities, converting food waste to energy as well as transforming this type of waste into rich organic compost. Resources: OzHarvest; Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; Foodwise; Living Greener.

6 Aluminium Aluminium is the world s second most widely used metal and occurs naturally as bauxite. Producing steel and aluminium based products is quite energy intensive, resulting in greenhouse gases and the utilisation of natural resources. Aluminium is used to produce a large range of products from drinks cans, to buildings, vehicles and other manufacturing goods. Around 294,000 tonnes of scrap in 2008 is estimated to have been received from production scrap and other manufacturing activities. Australians currently throw away a billion aluminium cans per year, which is enough to construct 200 jumbo jets. 1 tonne of recycled steel saves the energy equivalent of 3.6 barrels of oil and 1.5 tonnes of iron ore over the production of new steel. Australians consume over 450,000 tonnes of aluminium for building and construction, packaging and transportation purposes each year. Australia is the world s fifth largest producer of primary aluminium. Creating steel products from recycled cans uses 75% less energy rather than using raw materials. What happens to aluminium waste? Veolia collects aluminium cans as part of a mixed recyclables collection and sends these materials to a licensed processing facility, or a materials recovery facility (MRF). Using recycled aluminium to make new products takes less energy than using natural resources. Resources: Australian Aluminium Council; Planet Green Recycling; Clean Up Australia; Planet Ark.

7 E-Waste Electronic waste (e-waste) is discarded, surplus, obsolete or broken electrical or electronic devices. These materials often consist of harmful substances such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt and selenium. E-waste is particularly hazardous because when it is sent to landfill, these harmful substances can leach from decomposing waste into the surrounding environment; contaminating soil, groundwater and our natural eco-system. Mobile Muster recognises more than 29 million mobile phone services in Australia as of June % of lights that contain mercury end up in Australian landfills each year. 138,000 tonnes of new television, computers and computer products were sold in Australia in In , 106,000 tonnes (16.8 million units) were disposed of. This is close to 5kg or one unit per person, 84% of these materials were cent to landfill. The volume of televisions and computers reaching the end of their useful life is expected to reach 181,000 tonnes of 44 million units by What happens to e-waste? E-waste is collected using pallets or bulk bins and sent to an e-waste recycling facility, where it is then manually dismantled and sorted into each recyclable part for further processing. Veolia is aligned with Sims Group Limited, a leading recycling company for the disposal of e-waste and related products. Resources: Mobile Muster; Fluorocycle; Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

8 Recycling in the workplace Australians are currently one of the highest waste producers in the world, therefore it is important that we continue to reduce, re-use and recycle our waste! Introducing robust recycling practices within your workplace will not only benefit you financially, but also demonstrates best practice and environmental awareness. Every Australian office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of A4 paper each year, with approximately 50% of this going straight to landfill. 80% of employees within Australian businesses would like to see more recycling services available in their workplace. In , Australians consumed well over 4 million tonnes of paper, recycling just over half this amount for the local paper making industry or exporting internationally. The energy saved by recycling one plastic drink bottle would power a computer for approximately 25 minutes. Recycling glass can save between 25-30% of the energy used to make glass. Resources: Clean Up Australia Day; Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; Planet Ark; Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council ; Say NO to plastic bags.

9 Reducing your carbon footprint Waste generation is growing at around 4.5% per year, and based on that figure, Australians will generate over 80 million tonnes of waste by Whilst municipal councils continue to offer split-waste stream recycling services, almost 50% of all waste generated in Australia continues to be discarded in landfills, as opposed to recycling facilities. There are several ways you can improve your recycling habits, such as: Do not discard of recyclable materials in plastic bags_ Plastic bags are often made of mixed plastics and therefore render recyclable content contaminated. As most recyclable content from municipal collections is sent to a specialised materials recovery facility (MRF) to be sorted, often by hand, materials discarded in a plastic bag will usually be sent straight to landfill. Reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging_ when making household purchases, look for products that either have minimal packaging, or use packaging materials which are recyclable. Recover your organic waste_ Whilst most council s focus on the recovery of plastic, paper and glass materials, organic waste streams such as food scraps and vegetable matter are often discarded in general waste bins/receptacles and end up in landfills. Organic matter however, can be recovered within a household through the establishment of a composting system. Familiarise yourself with plastic identification codes_ To help identify the different plastics, a Plastics Identification Code is stamped on the final product to indicate what type of resin it contains. The code is displayed as a number inside a triangle of chasing arrows. These numbers will help you to work out what kinds of plastic are able to be recycled, and which cannot be recovered. Keep your recyclables clean_ It is essential to reduce the amount of contaminants within your recyclable materials. Simple cleaning of materials including glass, plastics and metal cans and tins can help to keep these recyclable products free of contamination. The cleaning of these materials also minimises both odour and health risks when they are manually sorted at an MRF. The most important part of getting recycling right is to take the time to sort it, check it and keep it clean! Resources: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; Australian Aluminium Council; Planet Ark; Clean Up Australia Day.