The problem with this new logo used by Wooolies
A new strategy to encourage Australians to recycle more, supported by supermarket chain Woolworths, has encountered a tricky problem in its first few weeks – councils asking households to recycle less.
This is one of the latest ramifications of China’s “green sword” policy as they now strictly regulate the rubbish that the nation recycles. The problems surrounding the recycling market are so bad, one of Australia’s largest recyclers Visy has said it will no longer accept kerbside recycling in some council areas from the end of next week.
This week, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) launched a new logo to encourage consumers to recycle.
The new Australian Recycling Label (ARL), supported by retailers such as Officeworks, Unilever and Nestle, aims to clearly let consumers know what they need to do when they throw out a product.
Chief Executive at Planet Ark Paul Klymenko has said the new label will make recycling easier to understand for consumers.
“'Which bin do I put it in?’ is a question that confronts Australians every day,” he said.
“The label gives clear instructions on how to correctly dispose of packaging. Its widespread adoption will help reduce consumer confusion about packaging recyclability and contribute to increased recycling rates and lower the amount of contamination to be dealt with by recycling facilities.”
One label will have the normal recyclable logo, which means the product can be discarded in the household recycling bin. The second logo lets consumers know they need to double check locally if the product can be recycled. The bin logo lets consumers know that it can not be recycled and needs to be put in a bin.
APCO Chief Executive Brooke Donnelly told news.com.au that it will be very clear for consumes what action they need to take when throwing out their product.
“We really believe that this will help consumers to make active and informed choices, not only when it comes to recycling but when considering what products to purchase,” she said.
While the new logos have been commended, the tough regulations in Beijing have caused a major issue for Australia’s recycling.
From January 1, China banned 24 categories of recyclables and solid waste and also implemented stricter quality controls. These regulations closed the doors to most of the world’s rubbish.
Some local councils are dealing with the international recycling debacle by stockpiling recyclable materials in the hope a market will be found later.
Ms Donnelly told news.com.au that it is important to seek out the opportunities disguised in this challenging situation.
“While there will undoubtedly be some short term challenges for the local recycling industry in dealing with the ‘green sword’, it also offers amazing opportunities to place a deserved focus on developing domestic markets and innovations here within Australia ... and create an end market for recycled materials," Ms Donnelly said.
“One of the aims of the APCO Packaging Recycling Label Program is to encourage the industry to have greater transparency over the supply chain and work towards more sustainable packaging solutions,” she said.