Surviving the Plastic Apocalypse It’s 2020. You’re in a room. You’re sprawled on the floor. Your hand is resting on something… smooth. You slowly raise your body, cracking open your eyes. You wince as light reflects from every angle. The smooth thing under your hand? It’s an empty Tim Tam packet. You look closer, it rests on a teetering pile of plastic takeaway containers. You leap up, spinning around, plastic piles are everywhere. They crunch under your feet as you stumble towards the door. The piles are filling the room, closing in, there’s no way out… Everyone’s woken up from this dream at some point, right? Right? Well, fear no more these plastic-fuelled nightmares. We’ve got the perfect recycling survival guide for you!
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WORDS BY UTAS Zero Waste Society
Kerbside Dos and Don’ts Keep a watchful eye, these items can be sneaky! • Do wash all recyclables out, but make sure any liquids or food scraps are removed • Do check for the triangular recycling symbol: 1, 2 and 5 are the most commonly recyclable • Do save up your foil until you can squash it into a fist sized ball, then chuck it in the recycling bin • Don’t remove labels from items • Don’t put in tangly items – ropes, wires, cords • Don’t bag or box things up, let that plastic run wild in the bin • Don’t put in plastic paper or waxed cardboard • Don’t recycle your compostable containers, (hot tip: these can go in your green FOGO bin)
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