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Tuesday, 20 November 2007
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Recycling message getting through as Victorians improve their waste practices putting us among the best recyclers in the world!
Victorians get better at recycling
The Age, Chris Evans, November 19, 2007
An extra 705,000 tonnes of kerbside waste was recycled in 2005-06, or 13% more than the 6.13 million tonnes collected by municipal councils the previous year, the State Government reported yesterday. This was material that was otherwise destined to be dumped in landfills.
But the Towards Zero Waste progress report, released by Environment Minister Gavin Jennings and based on the State Government's 2005 Towards Zero Waste strategy, also showed that on average only 40% of all kerbside waste collected statewide was recycled in 2005-06.
Even so, Mr Jennings said this still put Victorians among the best recyclers in the world. "People putting their bins out tonight probably don't think they are combating climate change, but recycling is a very effective means of cutting greenhouse has emissions," Mr Jennings said.
Victoria's recycling industry saved the state more than 4.64 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions and more than 56,000 megalitres of water in 2005/06.
It was also credited with causing the volume of solid municipal and industrial waste sent to landfill to fall from 4.45 million tonnes to 4.08 million tonnes in that year. All up, 60% of solid waste was recycled during the year.
The report's authors also found Victoria's reprocessing capacity to be largely based within the state, with 85% of material recovered that year being converted into new products by Victorian businesses.
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