Recycling Isn't the Answer

It may come as surprise to some people that while we work in recycling plastic, we don't think that recycling is the solution to the plastic pollution problem.

Our aim is to use recycling as a mechanism to encourage behaviour change - by encouraging people to look at their own waste, determine what is recyclable and what isn't, and make something interesting, they will be more likely to be aware of their personal plastic consumption. 

We want to ignite discussions around our waste and the current problems in the consumer system - like, why is it so hard to avoid single use plastics? What are bio-plastics and are they any better than standard plastic? and why are there limited options for disposal of plastics. 

Traditionally, recycling is seen as an easy out to keep doing what we are doing - the truck takes it 'away' and we can all carry on. The recent increase in awareness around this process has exposed the system as a broken one - with most of what is 'RECYCLABLE' not actually recycled, China and other places in Asia refusing to take other country's waste, and conversations sprouting up locally around what these plastics might be doing to our environment and even ourselves.

While recycling is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, it can be used as a way to illustrate the problems and begin discussing possible solutions. We know that single use plastics will exist for hundreds of years - lets do something interesting with them and at the same time show people they have the power to do something about it!