Are your plastic containers really recycled?
Some people believe that plastic drink containers end up in landfill and don’t get recycled at all. Once upon a time, that was true. For many years there was no practical way to collect those waste containers in Queensland, and nowhere to send them to be recycled into something new either. But not anymore.
Since the Containers for Change scheme came to Queensland in 2018, more than 1.6 billion PET drink containers have been returned and recycled into a whole range of new and useful products. In fact, there’s a good chance that you’re already using some of those products without even realising it – items like new PET drink containers, plastic food trays, shopping bags, even some clothing and building products.
The fact is PET drink containers are recycled right here in Queensland. And they’re transformed into a resource that can be used over and over again.
Here’s how it works:
You collect and return your used containers to your local Containers for Change refund point, where you receive a 10-cent refund for each one.
The containers are separated into different material types.
The PET containers are then sent to a number of different plastics processors where they are turned into purified PET flake.
The PET flake is then sent to recyclers such as Martogg Industries for further processing.
According to Austen Ramage from Martogg, plastics often get a bad rap because of outdated misconceptions about plastic recycling.
“We’re using world-leading Vacua technology to compound PET flake into a high quality, food-grade pellet,” he explained.
These pellets can then be manufactured into a growing number of usable products, such as construction materials, fashion items and new PET containers, which can then be recycled again and again.
PET recycling is a great example of the circular economy in action. It’s a circle of ongoing opportunities to create new products, new jobs and new industries that help protect our environment at the same time.