Key takeaways from our latest webinar: Simplifying recycling

At RecycleSmart, we’re committed to making recycling as straightforward and effective as possible. Our recent webinar, “Simplify Recycling: Proven methods from leading businesses and councils,” brought together industry experts, councils, and businesses to share insights and strategies for overcoming common recycling challenges. If you missed the webinar or want a refresher, here are the key takeaways that can help streamline recycling efforts in your community or organisation.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

RecycleSmart

We offer the following services to help meet recycling needs for businesses & councils:

• Convenient Business collections: RecycleSmart offers Business Power Pickups for various items like soft plastics, e-waste, textiles, batteries and more making recycling easy for businesses.

• Four turnkey services: Councils benefit from our four services including doorstep collection for residents, recycling centre collections, recycling hub collections & recycling drop off events.

• Tailored business solutions: We offer customised solutions for businesses such as recycling packages for offices and cafes that include comprehensive solutions and communication tools to enhance workplace recycling efforts.

Guest speakers

Steve Morriss from Close the Loop

Steve emphasised that businesses should focus on embracing a circular economy by using products and packaging for reuse and recycling, as exemplified by Close the Loop's innovative approach. He recommended implementing comprehensive collection and refurbishment programs to handle hard-to-recycle materials. He suggests investing in their services for technologies like TonerPlas® and rFlex® that turn waste into valuable products, and collaborate with various stakeholders to close the recycling loop. In addition he recommended measuring and reporting the impact of these initiatives to demonstrate the benefits and drive broader adoption of sustainable practices.

Alyssa Vilar from Wingecarribee Shire Council

Alyssa discussed Wingecarribee’s response to the collapse of the RedCycle program and their personal experience partnering with us as a council. By partnering with RecycleSmart, they established a successful trial for soft plastics collection, showcasing community support for accessible recycling options. They regularly have on average 16 kg of soft plastics dropped off per day at their centre and with RecycleSmart’s help 1.6 tonnes has been collected so far to be recycled and counting. Going forward the council intends to expand drop off points, continue using RecycleSmart, target legislation around producers of soft waste and more. 

Anil Gupta from Randwick City Council

Anil Gupta from Randwick City Council discussed the need to address the challenge of recycling tricky items for residents living in Multi-Unit Dwellings. They started, in partnership with RecycleSmart, collecting difficult-to-recycle waste directly from residents and transporting it to a recycling centre. The program has been well-received, reducing contamination rates and reaching over 1,590 households. The Council plans to continue and expand this service due to its positive impact.

Nadia Barbov from Qantas Freight 

Nadia showcased how Qantas integrates sustainability into its operations, emphasising the significant role of large corporations in advancing recycling practices and supporting sustainable supply chains. For businesses, the key takeaways are: set sustainability goals, such as achieving a 25% reduction in emissions by 2030, adopt circular economy practices by using recycled materials and enhancing recycling efforts as well as replacing plastic with recycled alternatives. In addition she also touched on the need to engage employees through targeted training and sustainability initiatives, collaborate with industry groups to improve material reuse and diligently track and report progress to ensure accountability and drive ongoing improvements.

Actionable takeaways for businesses and councils

Here are some actionable insights for improving recycling efforts:

• Prioritise convenience: Offering easy and accessible recycling options, like doorstep collection or local drop-off points, can significantly boost participation.

• Educate and inform: Providing clear, simple guidelines about recycling practices can reduce confusion and contamination.

• Collaborate: Working with partners or like-minded businesses can enhance your recycling initiatives and create more effective solutions.

Watch the full webinar recording

We encourage you to watch the full webinar recording here to dive deeper into these topics and hear directly from our expert guest speakers.