Brian Brady 
We’re sure most Everton Park residents to their very best to recycle when they can, but are you making sure that you’re recycling right and not putting the wrong items in your recycling bin?
In Everton Park we’re extremely blessed to be able to live in a beautiful part of the world, full of tress and parks, and so it’s important that local residents reduce waste where they can to help prevent the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills and protect our local environment.
Waste is unfortunately a part of everyday living, but by recycling right we can help cut down on the waste we produce. When putting items in our recycling bins however, it’s important to understand what can and can’t be recycled, as the wrong items in the recycling bin can end up contaminating entire truckloads and forfeiting the recycling efforts of others.
The following are items that CAN be recycled in your household recycling bin according to the Brisbane City Council website: newspaper, junk mail, brochures, office paper, wrapping paper, used note books, unbleached paper, packaging paper, glossy paper, magazines, envelopes (including window envelopes), phone books, greetings cards, coloured paper, paper bags, scrap paper, clean paper towels, cardboard boxes, milk/juice cartons (tetra-packs), pizza and cereal boxes, detergent boxes, tissue boxes, cardboard coffee cup, all rigid plastic containers such as soft drink bottles, takeaway containers, margarine containers, moulded plastic, milk bottles and juice bottles, yoghurt tubs, biscuit and sushi trays, detergent, shampoo bottles, vegetable and food cans, pet food cans, soft drink cans, paint tins (must not contain paint), pie trays, aerosol cans, aluminium foil, bottles and jars.
The following are items that CAN’T be recycled: padded envelopes, thermal fax paper, wax-coated paper, disposable nappies, plastic bags, disposable nappies, bubble wrap, styrofoam or polystyrene products, straws, plastic film or cling wrap, bubble wrap, batteries, gas bottles, wire, scrap iron or tin, cutlery, white goods, drinking glasses, ceramics, window glass, light bulbs, mirror glass, heat proof glass and glass cookware.
You can find out more about what can and can’t be recycled at the Brisbane City Council website.
Hopefully we can all start to think more about what we recycle and what we can do to help reduce the waste we produce, because the less waste we produce the more we can all help to preserve Everton Park and our beautiful environment.