Reduce, reuse and recycling to make a difference this National Recycling Week
By Ashmeeta Subra 22 October 2025
To make it easier to reduce waste and improve your recycling game, we’ve put together simple resources to help you take meaningful steps at home, work or school.
Australia’s recycling efforts have come a long way in the 29 years since the first National Recycling Week. Back in 1996, only seven per cent of materials were recycled, amounting to 1.5 million tonnes.
Today, that figure has increased to over 60 per cent, with 43 million tonnes recycled. To put that into perspective, we’ve gone from recycling just 80 kilograms per person annually to around 1,700 kilograms!
With National Recycling Week (10–16 November 2025) just around the corner, it’s time to take our recycling efforts to even greater heights. Join the Cycle by rethinking waste and continuing to reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle and more.
Here’s how to get involved:
At home
What goes in the bin
Recycling right at home starts with knowing what you can and can’t put in your bin. Take a few minutes to check your council’s guidelines to keep up to date on what to put in the recycling bin in your area. This helps reduce contamination in the recycling stream and ensures your efforts really count.
For items that can’t go in your kerbside recycling bin, such as batteries and blister packs, be sure to find special drop-off points using the Recycling Near You directory and recycle them the right way!
Check out this recycling guide for simple steps to help you recycle right at home.
At work
Organise an office clean-up
Workplaces can join the effort with simple actions like organising a day to sort through old papers, electronics and supplies to recycle or donate. If there isn’t one already, set up clear recycling systems to make it easier for everyone to get into the habit of recycling in the office.
You can even take this time to arrange an e-waste drop-off to safely recycle old phones, batteries and computers.
Host a recycling trivia or presentation session
For a fun team-bonding activity, try hosting a recycling trivia to challenge your team and test their recycling knowledge. We’ve also created ready-to-go presentations to help you run an engaging session at the office.
Join our free workplace webinar
Explore business attitudes to recycling in Australia in a free webinar session hosted by Planet Ark’s Head of Impact and Research, Ryan Collins.
You’ll also gain practical tips and advice on how your organisation can take part in National Recycling Week and help employees Join the Cycle by reducing, reusing and recycling better.
Visit our website to download resources for your workplace.
At school
Get involved in the Schools Recycle Right Challenge
Join more than 300,000 students for the Schools Recycle Right Challenge. Our Getting Started Guide can help you choose activities and processes suitable for your school.
We have free lesson plans for early learning, primary and secondary – covering everything from understanding recycling labels all the way to conducting your own waste audit!
Our activity guides and sheets are also a great way to get kids thinking about waste and recycling in a hands-on way. It can be something as simple as waste-free lunches or setting up recycling stations around the school, making it easy for students to start doing the right thing!
In the community
Explore resource centres available in your area
Certain communities have recycling hubs where you can drop off items that don’t go in your regular bin, such as electronics, batteries or hard waste items.
Your local library of things or community reuse hubs may let you borrow tools, equipment and other items instead of buying new, saving money and cutting waste.
Here’s a sneak peek at what you may be able to find at your local tool library.
Join or host local swap events
Check for any swap meets or secondhand markets where you can exchange clothes, books, toys and household items – or host your own event! It’s a great way to do more for the planet while connecting with your community.
With background in international relations and marketing communications, Ashmeeta is excited to use her skills to encourage positive environmental actions through Planet Ark. She believes that by taking small actions, we can help make a big difference and be good stewards of our planet. She also loves spending time in nature and being at the beach.
