The past week was National Recycling Week and Bogan Shire Council is one local LGA taking the opportunity to remind residents that much of what we currently send to landfill is valuable material that could be reused, repurposed, or recycled.

National Recycling Week was founded by Planet Ark in 1996 as an opportunity for Australians to take waste and recycling into their own hands by improving their recycling knowledge and building better recycling habits.

This year’s theme “What goes around, comes around” is all about providing simple and actionable tips that enable Australians to keep those valuable materials in circulation, whether at home, work or school. Since the introduction of National Recycling Week, the annual recycling rate in Australia has increased from just seven per cent of all disposed materials to more than 60 per cent.

Bogan Shire Council were happy to state on their Facebook page that their own residents have embraced recycling.

"We are noticing less contamination in the yellow rubbish bin loads we take to Gilgandra for sorting," they said in their post.

Almost gone are the days where rubbish was "thrown in the well" or under a tree and better recycling facilities have been part of the reason for this.

Only recently, the Condobolin Community Recycling Centre (CRC) won a Keep NSW Beautiful Award for their efforts, which gives residents a free and convenient way to safely dispose of recyclables that cannot go into kerbside bins, such as batteries, paints, oil, gas bottles, fluoro lights, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and aerosols.

In a current campaign, the New South Wales Government is taking action to combat plastic pollution and is inviting the public to join the effort by having their say on what plastic should be targeted to protect NSW’s environment, wildlife, and communities.

The state government is calling on industry, businesses, and the community to provide their thoughts on the 'NSW Plastics: Next Steps' discussion paper. Their goal is to reduce plastic litter by 30 per cent by 2025, address the issue of microplastics, and align their efforts with other Australian states and territories.

Penny Sharpe, NSW Minister for the Environment, highlighted that 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste are produced each year within the state, with only 12 per cent of it being recycled. She emphasized the need for collective action to make a positive impact and preserve the environment for future generations.

“We must act. By working together, we can make a real difference and leave the environment in a better state for our children,” Minister Sharpe said.

Problematic products that contain plastic, such as lollipop sticks, cigarette butts, bread tags, and heavy-duty plastic shopping bags, are some of the items that may be redesigned or phased out.

The consultation period will last for 14 weeks, starting from October 29, 2023, and ending on February 4, 2024. If you want to contribute to shaping the future of plastic usage, you can visit the NSW Environment Protection Authority's website.

In the meantime, think before you throw something in the garbage and say these words in your head - "reuse, recycle, reduce, repurpose" - it is likely one of options will fit the bill.