Tasmanians generate approximately one tone of waste per person annually, so if we are not doing our bit to help the environment you can only imagine the amount of waste we will collate over the next ten years.

One way to reduce the quantity of rubbish we dump into our landfills is to recycle. By transforming waste materials into useable resources, recycling reduces landfill and conserves resources, provides a way to manage solid waste while reducing pollution, conserves energy, creates jobs and builds more competitive manufacturing industries.

Check out your pile of junk….some of the things that can be recycled include the following items:

• Clean dry clothing and material
• Car batteries without cracks
• Newspapers, brochures and magazines
• Milk, cream and juice cartons
• Cleaned glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum and steel cans
• PET, HDPE and PVC plastic
• Non waxed or plastic coated cardboard

Use the addresses below to find your local council and see where the nearest recycling facility is located.

Break O’Day - www.bodc.tas.gov.au
Brighton - www.brighton.tas.gov.au
Burnie - www.burnie.net
Central Coast - www.centcoast.tas.gov.au
Central Highlands - www.centralhighlands.tas.gov.au
Circular Head - www.circularhead.tas.gov.au
Clarence City - www.ccc.tas.gov.au
Derwent Valley - www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au
Devonport City - www.dcc.tas.gov.au
Dorset - www.dorset.tas.gov.au
Flinders - www.flinders.tas.gov.au
George Town - www.georgetown.tas.gov.au
Glamorgan Spring Bay - www.gsbc.tas.gov.au
Glenorchy City - www.gcc.tas.gov.au
Hobart City - www.hobartcity.com.au
Huon Valley - www.huonvalley.tas.gov.au
Kentish - www.kentish.tas.gov.au
Kingborough - www.kingborough.tas.gov.au
King Island - www.kingisland.tas.gov.au
Latrobe - www.latrobe.tas.gov.au
Launceston - www.launceston.tas.gov.au
Meander Valley - www.meander.tas.gov.au
Northern Midlands - www.northernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Sorell - www.sorell.tas.gov.au
Southern Midlands - www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Tasman - www.tasman.tas.gov.au
Waratah Wynyard - www.warwyn.tas.gov.au
West Coast - www.westcoast.tas.gov.au
West Tamar - www.wtc.tas.gov.au
Tasmania Central Portal - www.tasmaniacentral.tas.gov.au

Attention: Government, Educators, Businesses and Households

Take a look at www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

This is a fabulous website that is full of great ideas to encourage working smarter with our resources. It gives you ideas on topics like…how to start a recycling program, detox your home, gain funding for Zero Waste initiatives and save money on your hot water bills etc.

We love the competition for schools: 2009 ResourceSmart School Awards and the Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge! Nominations are now open and the Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge measurement day is Wednesday 22 July 2009 sign up before then to take part in the Challenge. Completed entries for the 2009 Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge and nominations for the 2009 ResourceSmart Schools Awards are both due by Monday August 24 2009.

With a prize pool of over $50,000, winning schools will win cash and prizes to assist with their ongoing sustainability projects. Finalist schools also have the chance to present at the Kids Teaching Kids workshop and Awards Ceremony in November 2009. The Awards and Challenge are proudly presented by Sustainability Victoria.

Take a look at their website to find out more: www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

Maybe you will need a skip bin for your project??? If so visit www.bookabin.com.au to get an instant quote now!!

Tasmania is one of the most beautiful places and we hope to keep it that way!

What’s happening out there? There seems to be a growing problem with illegally dumped rubbish in forests close to towns such as the plantations at Stoodley and Isandula, and in forest reserves including Dog’s Head and Montana Falls.

Currently, members of the community are being encouraged to play a part in helping to stamp out illegal rubbish dumping following a major clean up of rubbish in North West state forests by Forestry Tasmania in conjunction with the Dulverton Regional Waste Management Authority.

Do your part to help and report rubbish dumping or other illegal activities by phoning Forestry Tasmania on 6424 8388 or Bushwatch on 1800 333 000.

Tasmanian Marine Debris Clean Up Volunteers say more and more rubbish continues to damage coastal and marine species in the area. Ten years on the Surfrider Foundation continues to help clean up the environment.

12 volunteers have just returned from the latest clean up of beaches in Tasmania’s South West Wilderness World Heritage Area with 9,000 pieces of rubbish (that’s about 1.4 ton of waste!). Foreign objects collected for disposal include a Russian hand cream container and a few Korean and Japanese water bottles. They also found a potty! The rubbish is not declining!

So do your part and ensure that when you are making use of our natural surroundings you take your rubbish home to dispose of. Pick up anything else that should be in the bin, to dispose of at home and you are extending the life of the Tasmanian environment.

Well Done!

A report on environmental trends outlines that every Australian creates one tonne of rubbish each year, making the nation the second largest waste creator after the United States. This is a huge amount of waste and it is not always contained and removed correctly.

Clean Up Australia Day has been designed to provide Australians with a focus to get physically involved in cleaning up the rubbish in their environment as well as implementing positive environmental practices in their everyday lives. Volunteers clean up discarded rubbish in areas such as road ways, parks coastal areas rivers and streams to show that the Australian Environment is a priority for the community. Over 4300 areas in total have been attended to, with the most common items found being plastic and glass bottles, soft drink cans and cigarette butts (most of which can be recycled).

If you are interested in helping out, visit www.cleanup.org.au and find out how you can get involved!