When did kerbside recycling schemes start in Australia?
The 80’s and early 90’s saw the introduction of kerbside recycling schemes, initially in Sydney, and then spreading to other major centres and more recently to regional centres. These schemes allowed households to separate out common items such as paper glass and aluminium, and later PET bottles, HDPE milk containers, liquid paperboard milk and juice cartons and steel cans. In 1992, The Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) endorsed a National Kerbside Recycling strategy which included a range of voluntary recycling targets for the major packaging industries. Australia became one of the first countries to have a national voluntary recycling plan giving commitments at all levels of industry. The strategy also set out a number of other objectives, including the extension of kerbside recycling schemes to at least 90% of households in major urban areas. From 1990 to 1993, the rate of household recycling in Australia doubled.
