Recycling is hard, but it shouldn’t be. Sometimes the ol’ rinse, clean, pop the item in the right bin routine can be a bit of a hassle. But it makes a big difference in the long run.
So just how big of a difference? We did some research on how long these everyday items take to break down in landfill. You know, if you don’t recycle them, or don’t recycle them correctly.
Let’s find out how much you already know.
Not pretty, right? We’ll let you go on a roller coaster of feelings — being grossed out by how much our rubbish really sticks around, and then feeling inspired to consume less and give the recycling thing your best shot. And, we get it, sometimes it’s hard to know what’s recyclable and what’s not. Do you leave lids on things? Does it matter if the items are in a plastic bag? What actually gets sorted and what doesn’t? It can depend on where you live and your local area’s recycling facilities.
It pays to do some research. As a start, you can head over here quick smart to Planet Ark’s Recycling Near You website, which will tell you recycling information based on the item or your local council’s facilities. There’s also a nifty app you can download to do the same thing.
Also, for the record, it’s hard to get consistent info on this breaking down in landfill stuff. Some sources may have different dates. Probably because so many of these things have only been around in more recent times and we haven’t been able to watch it actually break down. And that’s scary in itself! We used this resource from Cool Australia, which incorporates a bunch of different sources in their factsheet.