Nestle study revealed Australians recycle incorrectly and pushing for change in time for Christmas

Recycling is now second nature for most households, but a new study shows almost all Australians are doing it wrongly.

With Christmas just around the corner, when living room floors become awash in discarded wrapping and plastic packaging, some new initiatives have been launched to help dispose of the tonnes of waste.

Nestle has revealed a 94 per cent of Australians don’t know how to recycle correctly – despite 96 per cent wanting to do it correctly.

Nestlé packaging specialist Jacky Nordsvan said while Australians are passionate about the environment, they don’t know how to recycle properly. 

‘December is certainly a wonderful time for lots of creations from the kitchen – but unfortunately this often means more food packaging waste,’ she said. 

‘It makes it essential for us to think about how to recycle right.’

To help with the process, Nestle and other companies have begun labelling their products in accordance with the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL). 

The label provides clear and accurate instructions on what can be recycled from discarded packages and how. 

Nestle has introduced a new label (pictured) in accordance with the Australiasian Recycling Label (ARL) on their products which will allow users to recycle the item correctly 

‘The Australasian Recycling Label on pack – it’s a recipe for recycling right,’ Ms Nordsvan said. 

‘Another way to tackle festive waste is to catch one of the biggest culprits in our bins that go to landfill such as soft plastics.

‘It’s estimated that 20 per cent of our red bin contents is soft plastics, much of which can be recycled.’  

Last year, Nestle announced their goal of making 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025.   

Tips for recycling correctly 

1. Know what bin to recycle in: Look for the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), a recipe for recycling right – it tells you what packaging can be recycled, and how to recycle it.
2. Are you a scruncher or a folder?: Different materials need to be disposed of in different ways. The ARL shows you any instructions that must be followed, such as scrunch, flatten or fold, to be able to recycle the packaging component.
3. Be a giver this Christmas: Give back your soft plastics. Set up your own ‘Santa sack’, stow your soft plastics, then drop them for recycling at a REDcycle collection point, available at most supermarkets.
4. Get loose this festive season: Put all your recyclables in your recycling bin loose, not inside a bag or other recyclables. Sadly, Santa’s elves aren’t siting on the recycling line helping to pull things apart.
5. If in doubt, chuck it out: If you’re not sure if something can be recycled, to avoid contaminating the recycling stream, put it in your red bin.

                                                                                                                                            Source: Nestle