This week, 21-27 October, is Recycling Week. The goal of this week is to raise people’s awareness about the issue of waste and recycling in New Zealand. The theme this year is “Understand your waste”, which reminds everyone to think about what they throw away.
In fact, recycling is not the best solution to reduce waste. Some products cannot be recycled, especially in New Zealand where there are not enough recycling facilities. In addition, some products such as takeaway coffee cups are made of a mix of materials, so they are extremely difficult to recycle.
One way to help people understand the issue of waste is the waste minimisation hierarchy, which is an inverted pyramid, with the most preferable action at the top and the least preferable at the bottom. The action at the top is reduce. For example, avoiding takeaway coffee cups by using a reusable cup reduces waste, or buying second hand means fewer resources are used and there is no packaging to dispose of. The next step in the hierarchy is reuse and repair. This could mean finding a way of reusing something, for example, using newspaper as an alternative to single-use rubbish bin bags. Items that are broken can often be repaired. Many communities around the country run Repair Cafes, often in the weekend, where volunteers share their skills to repair electrical or household items and to mend clothes that people bring to the café. See if there’s a Repair Café near you by checking this link.
The third level in the hierarchy is recycle. This includes not only glass, metals, plastics and paper, but also food waste. Food waste can be made into compost which is a natural fertiliser for gardens. The next level is recover, which means taking out useful materials or parts from products such as computers or appliances. At the bottom of the pyramid is dispose or throw away. If there is no other option, things must go to landfill. New Zealand generates 17.5 million tonnes of waste every year, but if we understand the pyramid, we can all try to reduce this amount.
Listen to National Recycling Standards to learn more about what can be recycled in New Zealand.
Vocabulary
awareness – knowledge and understanding
hierarchy – a system of organisation in which people or things are divided into levels of importance
inverted – upside-down
pyramid – a system of organisation with different levels. Usually, a pyramid has the largest level at the bottom and the smallest level at the top. An inverted pyramid has the largest level at the top and the smallest level at the bottom
packaging – materials used to wrap or protect goods
dispose of something – to throw something away
compost – a mix of food waste, plants, and leaves, which have broken down
fertiliser – something that is added to soil to help plants grow more successfully
landfill – a place where rubbish is buried under the ground