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Recycling - is it a crook or not? Turns out the answer is a complicated NO but also a very interesting story. Today we tap into Waveney's years of expertise on this issue to discover what ACTUALLY happens when you throw items into the recycling. We discuss the difference between recycling and downcycling, what a MRF is and figure out why Malaysia is buying bails of materials and the burning them.

Ministry for the Environment are calling for submissions on setting up regulated stewardship for six particularly problematic waste streams. This is a game changer for waste in Aotearoa and such a relief that its finally on the table. If you have 2 mins, go in and just say yes, yes, yes to everything. Its time well spent because the government may get industry back lash and they need to know they have a mandate - that’s how plastic bags got over the line.  

If you want to engage a bit more the Zero Waste Network have put together  a simple guide to making a submission and there is also this video from Grey Lynn 2030. 

Submissions aside if, like Waveney, you have a geeky level of interest in recycling in New Zealand, check out: Waste MINZ, (New Zealand’s representative body of the waste, resource recovery and contaminated land sectors in New Zealand) and the Zero Waste Network (Aotearoa’s network of community based recyclers).

Also if you live in Auckland, Auckland Council has a good online search tool for what you can do with unwanted items, although like we say in the show, we recommend landfilling tetrapaks, cartons and plastics #3,4,6,7 until there are better options for the end products.