Finally! The recycling label you've been waiting for is here...

Finally! The recycling label you've been waiting for is here...

By Nell MacDonald  April 9th, 2018

Confused about what and how to recycle? The Australasian Recycling Label is here to help.

Share

At Planet Ark we like to think of ourselves as experts when it comes to recycling but even we can still take a few minutes to figure out age old recycling gripes like ‘lid on or lid off?’. This is why Planet Ark in partnership with PREP, developed the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) and why we are excited to announce an exciting new development that will see its use increase across Australia and New Zealand. Picture this, you’ve just finished your favourite tub of yogurt, you are trying to do the right thing and make sure the package gets recycled. Do you replace the lid on or take it off? And what about the aluminium foil? This is where the ARL will help, giving you clear instructions on what to do with each separable component of packaging. The tub, in the recycling please; the lid, into your rubbish (or even better reuse in a kids art project!); the aluminium, give it a clean and scrunch with other aluminium into a fist sized ball to make sure it gets sorted correctly.

 

The ARL has just entered an exciting new phase thanks to a partnership with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) that will allow more companies to easily adopt the label. This means that over the next year more products will hit the shelves featuring the ARL and, most importantly, more resources being recovered and made into new recycled products. “We are looking forward to working with APCO to grow the ARL amongst their wide membership. I’d also like to thank the companies that have been instrumental in its success to date” said Paul Klymenko, CEO of Planet Ark. Currently the companies who have already adopted the ARL on their products include Officeworks, Blackmores, Woolworths and T2. Watch this space! Soon you will be able to find the ARL on many more of your favorite products. Why is it important to reduce contamination? A simple walk down the supermarket aisle can highlight how confusing recycling labelling can be. This confusion not only leads to frustration for those trying to do the right thing but also increases contamination within our kerbside recycling. Sometimes it is tempting to think that including something into your recycling that may not be recyclable is ok because you are giving it a chance to be recovered. Unfortunately, while well intended, this can contaminate the steam. Remember ‘if in doubt, leave it out’. The ARL label will tell you exactly what you can do to ensure that different materials such as plastics, metals and paper can be separated properly to ensure clean, uncontaminated and more valuable resources are recovered. Positive actions Help reduce contamination in your recycling by following the rule- ‘if in doubt leave it out’. Close the loop by switching to products made from recycled materials. Check out our recycled products list here (link to products) Adopt the ARL recycling label for your business

 

Share

By Nell MacDonald

Nell is Special Projects Manager at Planet Ark.

Stay up to date

Whether you're looking for positive inspiration at home, at work or in the community you’ll find something in our suite of e-newsletters.