What’s new archive 2005

All the news from 2005:

The Australian Government, Clean Up Australia, and the Australian Retailers Association have joined forces to provide advice, information and a range of free materials and resources to help retailers and their customers say NO to plastic bags. The 'Say NO to Plastic Bags' program encourages shoppers and retailers, particularly small business operators, to start using alternatives and increase plastic bag recycling. Click here for more information

A compelling report on the environmental consequences of generating millions of tonnes of e-waste world-wide has been produced by the United National Environment Program (UNEP) as part of its Early Warning on Emerging Environmental Threats series. “This report is brilliant”, Zero Waste SA Chief Executive Vaughan Levitzke says. Click here to download the PDF report.

The findings from Zero Waste SA's major benchmark study of 2000 South Australian householders' attitudes towards waste reduction are now available at http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/market_research.php.

The survey provides responses to questions such as:

• How important is recycling to the householder?
• What are the barriers and triggers to recycling?
• How can recycling be made easier for householders?

See http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/market_research.php for more information.

Zero Waste SA has updated its case studies on successful Zero Waste events.

Read about St Peter’s Harvest Fair (199Kb PDF)

Read about Campbelltown Proud Day (173Kb PDF)

Zero Waste SA is supporting a major organics waste collection trial to be piloted amongst almost 1,800 Burnside Council households. The aim is to understand the community’s use and acceptance of new technology and determine the system’s potential to reduce household organic waste going to landfill.

Click here to read the media release (305Kb PDF)
Click here to read resident information www.burnside.sa.gov.au

Environment and Conservation Minister John Hill has released South Australia's Waste Strategy 2005 - 2010. The strategy aims to ensure a healthy environment for South Australian's now and into the future. Click here to read the Waste Strategy, the Background Paper or Strategy Summary

Many people use single use plastic shopping bags to line their waste bins
and ask what they can do when they stop accepting these bags from
supermarkets. This is not an easy question to answer; for most of the last
century we didn't line our waste bins so that is not an unreasonable option
now - however, it might have unexpected adverse impacts on the environment.
For an in depth discussion of this dilemma read the information here. (99Kb PDF)

This logo will now replace the former Zero Waste SA brand and should appear on all future publications and projects acknowledging Zero Waste SA and the Government of South Australia.

The new logo is also available in a black and white version. If you require
the new logo please send an email request to
marcia.hewitt@zerowaste.sa.gov.au

Centro Colonnades has posted its We're Parting with Plastic project, funded
with the support of Zero Waste SA on the World Environment Day web site's
register of activities. You can read about Colonnades' activities by
clicking here.

Putting the wrong things into recycling bin causes problems at the recycling plant and can even pose a health risk to the workers.

 However, people are putting material out for collection that should not be there – and it is finding its way into the bales of paper and cardboard the recycling businesses sell to paper manufacturers. These contaminants mean a bale of recyclable paper and cardboard becomes unusable and has to be sent to landfill. They often damage the machinery used to process collected material, meaning downtime and repairs that make the end-product more expensive.

The worst contaminants are scrap metal, clothing and shoes, and disposable nappies. Recycling plants are set up to handle only those things people are asked to put out at their kerbside collection.

 There are golden rules for what you should and not do. The first rule is to put out for kerbside collection only what is meant to be there. Approved recyclables which can be placed in the recycling bin include:

• All rigid plastic containers (separate lids from containers, especially plastics)
• All cartons (drink type, flattened only)
• All steel cans, aluminum cans, trays and foil
• All paper, magazines and cardboard
• All glass bottles and jars (including separated lids).

There is a wide range of material put out for kerbside collection that should be disposed of in other ways. This includes garden hoses and pots, kitchen and food scraps, plastic bags and plastic wrap, paints and oils, crockery and drinking glasses, and syringes and medical waste. If you are unsure what to put out at the kerbside, contact your local council or check the council’s website.

Click here to download your reminder of what can and can't be recycled (PDF, 45 Kb)

Zero Waste SA helps councils track the success of kerbside recycling. Click here to download the packages developed.

:::Top:::

Back to What's New