EVERYONE knows that recycling plastic is important: bottles go in the yellow bin, and from there they can be turned into something new.
At least, that’s what’s commonly thought. In reality, to complete the cycle, people need to buy products that are made from recycled materials.
To explain what can be done, Renew’s Hunter Region Branch invited expert Jess Hodge at the Raymond Terrace Senior Citizens Hall on 21 June to talk about the ins and outs of recycling and offer practical demonstrations of how to turn old plastic into something new.
Ms Hodge is the co-founder of Resourceful Living, a company that transforms plastic waste into all sorts of objects: industrial panels, containers, trays, fences, and even benches and desks.
Her goal is to make more and more people embrace recycling by showing them what the process involves, what the end result looks like, and how it can be used.
“If you’re not buying anything that’s recycled, you’re not helping recycling,” Ms Hodge said.
“There’s no point in using the yellow bin if you’re not prepared to buy a recycled product.
“Why bother putting money and funding into people sorting and categorising plastic if no one is going to buy the end product?”
Ms Hodge explained how plastic recycling in Australia still left a lot to be desired.
“Just in Australia, we throw out 100 kg worth of plastic a year [per person]. We had a recycling target of 70 per cent to hit in 2025. We got 22 per cent.”
Recycling can be complicated due to all the different labels that tend to leave consumers confused, but the process itself is quite simple.
During the practical workshop Ms Hodge demonstrated how, simply by using a regular sandwich press, old plastic could be moulded into something new, even at home.
The beauty of utilising items made entirely from plastic, Ms Hodge said, is that they can be re-recycled time and time again. Eventually, once they get too brittle, they can simply be broken down into oil, which can then once again be remade into plastic, cutting down on emissions significantly.
“[Plastic]’s got quite a lot of negative wording to it. And it is, especially with how we use it at the moment. But it can also be a great material if we use it for long-lasting items,” Ms Hodge said.
By Nico LOMBARDO
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