We should all be trying to reduce our “footprint” and nurture our environment so we can get the best out of our beautiful planet for as long as possible.
80 million plastic bags end up as litter in Australia each year - creating a serious threat to our precious marine life, but Australians are among the best newspaper recyclers in the world, recycling 74.5% of newspapers in 2005. So now let’s get rid of those plastic bags! (Recycling one ton of plastic saves enough energy to run a refrigerator for a month).
An estimated 7 billion cigarette butts end up in Australian waterways, streets and parklands each year but in 2005, Australians recycled 2.3 billion aluminum cans. (That’s 600 million more than ten years ago!). Kick it in the “butt” Australia, let’s concentrate on getting those butts in the bin!
Australians are amongst the highest producers of waste per person in the world, but things are looking up if the following facts are anything to go by, well done Australia!
- In some NSW council areas, households are recycling nearly 46% of their waste!
- Recyclable material makes up almost 80% of total household waste in Australia.
- Over the past 15 years volunteers on Clean Up Australia Day have collected over 200,000 tons of rubbish. That’s 4.7 million household wheelie bins!
Remember every 10 tons of recyclable materials recovered is equivalent to:
- Taking four cars off the road permanently
- Providing a year’s electricity for 14.5 households
- Saving enough water to fill 3.5 average backyard swimming pools
Think twice before disposing of your waste!
Wow astonishing facts. Glad to see recycling on the uprise though. Keep at it Australia and the rest of the world for that matter! Lets make the world a better place.