Dubbo polystyrene recycling trial supports Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a global movement that encourages people to refuse single-use plastics - but what about those plastics that are not so straight-forward to refuse, like the polystyrene that your parcel deliveries and new appliances are packed in?

Polystyrene takes up large amounts of space in landfills where it can easily be blown away and enter and harm our natural environment. Over 71,000 tonnes of polystyrene is produced and used each year in Australia, with 85 per cent of the product going to landfills.

Dubbo council is trialling a new polystyrene recycling program at its Whylandra Waste and Recycling Centre as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, outlined under its 2040 Community Strategic Plan.

The trial allows customers to drop off their polystyrene waste in the Foam Muncher bin. A vehicle then comes onsite where the polystyrene is melted down into blocks which are then transported to manufacturers to turn into a variety of new products, such as skirting boards, flooring, picture frames and railway sleepers.

Hamish Campbell, council's resource recovery education officer, said polystyrene is one of the more problematic plastics for the planet, its composition and volume making it "a tricky one to deal with".

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"It's the same as other plastics in that it's made of oil and non-renewable ... [but] traditional recycling channels can't deal with it," Mr Campbell told the Daily Liberal.

"Predominantly, the main source of polystyrene is packaging and the like. Industry is attempting to replace the polystyrene with other products, and there are recycled products coming on the market and there are things being done with textile replacements, but they are still in the trial phase and a few years from coming out in the public."

Council's polystyrene recycling trail is only accepting household amounts at the moment, and there is a small financial incentive. The trial is due to end on August 11 at this stage, but if community uptake is sufficient, council will make it permanent. Expansion to Wellington and transfer stations, as well as to include commercial customers, will be considered.

"I think above anything it's about making people aware of polystyrene and getting them to choose other products where they can - when they have control over it," Mr Campbell said.

Dubbo council also provides the yellow lid bin household recycling service - which can take hard plastics like bottles and containers - and Mr Campbell said the team was hopeful of trialling a soft plastics initiative "in the not-too-distant future".

This would potentially take up some of the slack from the collapsed domestic recycling program that had customers drop-off their single-use plastics to supermarkets.

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The team behind Plastic Free July are encouraging residents to make small changes this month as it all adds up - and new habits could be formed.

Founder and speaker of the Plastic Free Foundation, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz - who started the Australian initiative which has spread around the world - said when millions of people take a small step, it is noticed.

"Choosing to refuse a single-use plastic item this July means joining a big movement of people taking steps to end plastic pollution. Importantly, it also means showing businesses and governments they need to step up too," Ms Prince-Ruiz said.

Some simple things you can do this month (and beyond) include:

For more inspiration, go to www.plasticfreejuly.org

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