By Narelle Anderson
Founder and Managing Director, Envirobank

Are Australians environmentally apathetic or empathetic?

Ask the average Australian about their recycling habits and they’ll probably claim to be diligent when it comes to separating waste. After all, we saw broad introduction of national kerbside paper, glass and aluminium recycling schemes across Australia throughout the 1980s and early 90s, so the process is reasonably ingrained in our behaviour.

As time moved on and technology improved, we’ve developed processes to separate and recycle other common packaging materials including PET and HDPE bottles and the liquid paper board used for milk and juice cartons, so it’s relatively simple for households and individuals to ensure reusable waste doesn’t end up in landfill.

According to Planet Ark, about 51% of household waste in Australia is recycled, which puts us on par with several developed countries including many in northern Europe, a region often regarded as a paragon for pro-environmental behaviour. So, provided there is a convenient mechanism in place, as a nation it seems we aren’t too bad when it comes to recycling — at least when it comes to household waste. Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story.

Australia’s haste with waste

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) regularly measures national performance across four domains; society, economy, environment and governance, using performance indicators designed to determine whether life in Australia is improving. The end-result is the Measure of Australia’s Performance (MAP) report, with the last published data released in 2013.

Each domain measured under MAP incorporates several sub-sections, including an analysis of waste management, which falls under the ‘sustaining the environment’ umbrella. According to the report, despite our ‘good on paper’ recycling numbers, Australians are steadily generating more waste per capita year-on-year. While relatively high recycling rates serve to offset this in terms of our international standing, it still means that we are regressing overall in waste management because we are generating continually higher levels.

Published data on per-capita waste generation in Australia varies based on differing calculation methods, but the average figure suggests we are each responsible for just over 1,000 kg per year, ranking us behind developed nations including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Japan, but still ahead of the undisputed king of consumption, the United States. Anyone who watched the ABC’s War on Waste program could not have avoided feeling uncomfortable, or more likely mortified, by the escalating volume of waste we as a nation generate.

When Clean Up Australia conducts its annual national litter removal campaign, it releases information on the ten most common rubbish items collected, along with the most polluted site types across Australia.

Disappointingly, easily recycled items including plastic PET containers, aluminium cans and glass bottles are consistently identified in the top ten offenders. The most polluted sites types are outdoor transport areas — including bus stops and train platforms — along with beaches, other coastal areas and school grounds.

If we’re a nation of recyclers who care about the environment, as we profess to be, what’s going wrong?

The huge uptake in bottled water certainly hasn’t helped. Roy Morgan released research findings last year that found 27% of Australians aged over 14 consume bottled water within any given seven days. Our national consumption total is over 726 million litres per annum, or about 43 litres for each adult aged between 14 and 64. That means somewhere between 43 and 72 empty water containers per person — depending on bottle size — require disposal each year. And that’s just water. Then there’s soft drinks and other beverages packaged in aluminium cans, PET bottles and glass containers, many of which are consumed when people are on the go.

We know that convenience plays a key part in successful recycling, as demonstrated through the high national rates of recovery from kerbside programs. We also know financial incentives work, as regions with established container deposit schemes, such as South Australia, consistently outperform other states when it comes to reprocessing waste. Following on from South Australia’s success, the Northern Territory introduced a deposit scheme in 2012, with similar programs due to roll out in Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales throughout 2017-18.

While there is an intrinsic economic benefit in a scheme that pays users to recycle, we’ve noticed a growing inclination to see this as an opportunity for contribution to an even greater good.

Charities ask households and businesses to donate their bottles and cans, which they collect and sort, then hold for pick-up by Envirobank. By electing to donate their containers, users are forgoing their refund and putting that money toward a cause instead. And it continues to pay in ways that aren’t immediately apparent, including providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

This is something that excites us and why we believe every Australian should care about recycling – it pays the planet, pays people and pays in continuing unexpected ways.

Envirobank pays for the good you do

The Envirobank dream is to clean up our country by changing the way Australia recycles. We use innovative automated technology to deliver a better recycling alternative that pays users for doing good. We intend to build on our success in South Australia and the Northern Territory by progressively introducing dedicated depots and convenient reverse vending machines nationwide, rewarding recyclers with cash, movie tickets and gift vouchers — in every state that supports a Container Deposit Scheme.

We’re also forging partnerships with some of the country’s most environmentally-focused businesses, delivering tailored solutions that allow them to meet their sustainability goals and better service their customers.

We believe in rewarding Australians for the good they do. Let’s consciously slow the acceleration of Australian waste and recycle responsibly for a cleaner planet and a brighter future for the next generation.

By Narelle Anderson
Founder and Managing Director, Envirobank