Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) Week kicks off on Monday 23 August and this year’s campaign aims to help increase the recycling rate of beverage containers in public places.
Councils can get involved to help reduce litter and waste being sent to landfill in their local area by promoting local initiatives that are helping to increase the recycling rate of empty bottles and cans.
“With so many people buying food and drink when they’re out and about these days, we are seeing more waste being produced, but with very little of it being recycled,” said KAB spokeswoman, Lara Shannon.
“This means more litter on our streets and products ending up in landfill which don’t need to be there.
“This not only has a negative effect on the environment, but also has a big financial impact as millions of dollars are being spent nationally on cleaning up litter on our streets.”
With many councils, venues and businesses introducing public place recycling bins, Keep Australia Beautiful is now calling for greater public awareness about the services available and also how to use them correctly to reduce contamination.
“Keep Australia Beautiful Week is an ideal time to promote local recycling facilities and create greater awareness among residents, so they can start recycling their empty drink bottles and cans rather than throwing them in the rubbish bin”, Lara Shannon said.
During the Week, Keep Australia Beautiful will also be announcing the recipients of the Beverage Container Recycling Grants, funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation.
The $200,000 nationwide scheme will be used to initiate local recycling projects. They have been awarded to a wide range of community groups and councils to increase beverage container recycling.
The Keep Australia Beautiful website will feature a range of supporting resources for councils, including posters, fact sheets and a template media release to generate local media support during KAB Week.
For further information about the campaign and how your council can get involved, visit www.kab.org.au
