MORE than two decades ago Planet Ark founded National Recycling Week so it could show Australia the environmental benefit of recycling.

National Recycling Week (November 12-18) continues to educate and stimulate behaviour change by promoting kerbside, industrial and community recycling initiatives and giving people the tools to minimise waste and manage material resources responsibly at home, work and school.

While the week has created awareness there is still a lot more that needs to be done, and, according to the Australian Plastics Recycling Survey for 2016-17 a total of 3,513,100 tonnes of plastics were consumed in Australia over the last financial year.

Of the plastic consumed a total of 293,900 tonnes of plastics were recycled (excluding tyre recovery), which is a fall of 10 per cent from 2015-16 recovery.

Including tyres, total plastics recovery was 415,200 tonnes.

Of the 415,200 tonnes of plastics collected for recycling, 180,100 tonnes (43.4 per cent) was reprocessed in Australia and 235,100 tonnes (56.6 per cent) was exported for reprocessing.

More information at recyclingweek.planetark.org

Masters at recycling metal

SIMS Metal Management says it’s grown to be the leading collector, processor and supplier of recycled metal in Australia.

The company says this has been made possible through a network of 30 physical locations servicing all states and territories in Australia. Sims Metal Management also operates in more than 20 countries.

“Our processing capacity, which includes five fragmentisers, shears, balers and granulating plants, operates to the highest environmental and quality standards to produce products that are recognised and sought after throughout the world,” the company says.

Sims Metal Management buys ferrous metal from metal dealers, peddlers, auto wreckers, demolition firms and others who generate obsolete metal, and from manufacturers who generate industrial metal.

“We source non-ferrous metals from manufacturers, known as production offcuts, and from generators of electricity, telecommunication service providers, as well as others, who generate obsolete metal,” the company says.

“Our focus on optimisation and continuous improvement, with internal investments in our operations, functions and people is setting us on a solid path for many years to come.”

Sims Metal Management, 47 Alderson Place, Hume. Call 6129 8800 or visit simsmm.com.au

Furniture firm passionate about repurposing

EX-GOVERNMENT Furniture saves a huge amount of stuff from landfill by taking it, fixing it and then selling it for resale, says co-owner and manager James Fullerton.

“A lot of the time it’s a viciously huge waste throwing stuff away to landfill,” he says.

“What’s the point of dumping it? We will pick it up for free, which saves people on removal costs, and then we’ll reuse it as opposed to people chucking it out.”

Rather than creating more waste, Ex-Government Furniture gets in second-hand items weekly and James says repurposes them so they’re in an “almost new condition”.

“It’s all high-quality, second-hand furniture that will last rather than something cheap that will be trashed the next week,” he says.

Ex-Government Furniture stocks pretty much all office and some home furniture, such as high-quality office chairs, desks, workstations, boardroom tables and shelving.

“We charge fair prices and are often able to source the best, no-nonsense, quality furniture available, always with an eye for good quality,” James says.

Ex-Government Furniture, 6 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6490 or visit exgovfurniture.com or via facebook.com/exgovfurniture/

Preschool puts container refunds to work

THE ACT Container Deposit Scheme (ACT CDS) has been encouraging recycling in the community while reducing litter and the number of containers going to landfill.

Under the scheme, eligible empty beverage containers can be returned to nominated points to receive a 10-cent refund for each container.

Refunds can also be donated to charity.

St Nicholas Greek Australian Preschool in Yarralumla has embraced the scheme, which has become an extension of the school’s sustainability program, teaching the preschool’s students the importance of recycling and how it happens.

It all began from a lunchtime discussion where students asked: “Where does water come from?”

This led to questions about how the school could capture its own water using a water tank.

The students then searched online for an appropriate rain water tank for the school to buy where they could collect their own water.

By using the ACT Container Deposit Scheme to raise money for the water tank, students have been collecting containers at home and at the school, visiting the depot as an excursion to return the containers, see the separation process and receive the refund.

So far St Nicholas Greek Australian Preschool has raised more than $300 through the collection of containers and they will continue to collect with the aim to buy a new water tank for the preschool by Christmas.

ACT Container Deposit Scheme. Call 6280 8538 or visit actcds.com.au

Adam gives wood a new lease of life

FOR the first seven years of Adam Dossetor’s carpentry career he saw a lot of quality hardwood being pulled out of buildings and wasted.

With a passion for using things that already exist, Adam established Dossetor & Co five years ago and has since been repurposing quality wood and giving it a new lease on life.

“As much as I can I use recycled materials including second-hand steel,” he says.

“We aim to recycle as many different materials as we can to build one-off furniture, fittings, fit-outs and renovations.”

Using mainly hardwood, Adam says he can build items that will last forever, such as benchtops for kitchens, desks and solid timber joinery for cupboards and doors.

“Basically, I’ll make anything that anybody asks me to,” he says.

“A lot of people come to me with challenging ideas and I’m happy to meet with anybody and everybody and make their ideas come to life.

“We love our job and hope to work with you on bringing your dream piece of furniture or renovation to life.”

Dossetor & Co. Call 0414 533995, email adam@dossetorandco.com.au or visit dossetorandco.com.au