Recycling is no rubbish solution

A Charles Darwin University environmental crusader has opened her office for soft plastic recycling as she campaigns for a cleaner, greener Northern Territory during National Recycling Week.

Office of Facilities Management service desk coordinator Esther Lloyd-Taylor organises a soft plastic recycling scheme at Casuarina campus – if it scrunches, she’ll take it – encouraging staff and students to help reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill.

“This depot is open so that anyone can drop off their plastic bags to be recycled,” she said.

“We want to prevent as much plastic as possible being buried in the ground or harming marine life in our water ways, and it’s great for the university to engage with the community in this way.

“It’s incredible how quickly you can rethink the way you dispose of waste.”

Ms Lloyd-Taylor said Casuarina campus had recycled more than 13,000 litres of soft plastic – with a total weight of about 330kg – in the past 10 months, with the help of a Darwin-based waste management service.

She also runs a battery recycling bank and is collecting plastic bottle tops in the hope that someone will eventually find a use for them and to keep them out of landfill.

Along with designing a “Recyclopaedia” handbook on what to dispose of and how, Ms Lloyd-Taylor said she hoped to inspire Territorians to look into simple, sustainable practices, waste reduction and tips on incorporating “green” ideas into a busy lifestyle.

The theme for Planet Ark National Recycling Week is “What Goes Around: Why Buying Recycled Matters”.

To find out where to drop your plastic bags, E: esther.lloyd-taylor@cdu.edu.au