Turning trash into treasure in NSW

Minister for Environment James Griffin said the community’s commitment to recycling has seen record numbers of recycled materials re-entering the economy as valuable resources.

“Two thirds of all waste in NSW is already being recycled, and we want to do even better to boost the circular economy,” Mr Griffin said.

“Creating a circular economy in NSW is only possible with our community’s unwavering commitment to a cleaner environment by seeing what they throw out as a valuable resource. In short NSW residents, we need you.

“When we recycle right, our trash gets turned into treasure - it gets a new life. By using making sure we’re putting the right things in our recycling bins at home and using our successful Return and Earn network, we each make a positive contribution to our environment.

“You can make sure you’re recycling right with the free Recycle Mate app, which tells you exactly what can and can’t be recycled in your local government area.”

Sixty-four per cent of all waste generated in NSW is recycled, being remade into new items such as building materials, packaging, and new food and drink containers.

The NSW Government has started implementing its $356 million Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy, which supports a target to achieve an 80 per cent recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030, transitioning to a circular economy and reducing waste to landfill.

NSW recycling capacity was increased by 2.7 million tonnes through the NSW Government’s $802 million Waste Less Recycle More initiative, which delivered almost 3,000 projects and was the largest waste and recycling program in Australia.

The Australian Council of Recycling’s free Recycle Mate app was supported with $350,000 of NSW Government through Waste Less Recycle More initiative.