HAVE you noticed the red bins at Woolworths in Nelson Bay and Salamander Bay?

Or the long bin at the back of the checkouts at Coles in Salamander Bay for various types of recycling?

These are part of an initiative known as Redcycling which aims to recycle most soft plastics and not just the grey shopping bags.

All manner of household plastics can be recycled, including cereal packet inserts, biscuit wrappers, cling film and frozen vegetable bags.

The rule of thumb is that if you can scrunch it up into a ball, then it can be recycled.

Local group OCCI (Ocean and Coastal Care Initiatives), have recently run their own campaign on plastics recycling, led by member Diana Latona, who has a special interest in the area.

Diana had a stall in the Salamander Bay Centre and was showing people the types of plastic that could be recycled.

Latest figures show only three percent of plastic shopping bags used in Australia are being recycled, with plastics taking 500-1000 years to break down.

With plastics making their way into the soil and our oceans and waterways, this is an issue that needs tackling now.

For more information, visit www.redcycle.net.au.

 

By Sarah STOKES