Buy Recycled Rubbish Report

The Australian Government, the Australasian Packaging Covenant, the Australian Council of Recycling and the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia all recognise the importance of creating a market in Australia for recovered resources.

By increasing awareness of products, packaging and producers which situate themselves firmly within a circular economy, our Buy Recycled platform helps showcase innovative solutions across a broad variety of collections: Fashion and Activewear, Jewellery and Accessories, Kitchen and Food, Bathroom and Cosmetics, Laundry, Homewares and Furnishings, Sport and Recreation, Pet Products, Office and Stationery, Renovations and Flooring, Garden and Landscaping and Upcycled Art.

Recycled content products listed on the platform contain at least 20% recycled content by weight of product, with many products containing at least 40% recycled content and others made from 100% recycled materials. Recycled content packaging listed on the platform meets Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets, with packaging containing at least 50% recycled content.

Clean Up Australia’s Rubbish Report is a snapshot of rubbish removed by volunteers during a calendar year. Typically, around 10% of all sites are surveyed, with volunteers opting to provide this data. Since 1991, it has proven to be an invaluable resource in identifying trends in the types and spread of rubbish throughout Australia and continues to demonstrate the importance of refusing, reducing, re-using and recycling rubbish. Across the nation, for the 28th consecutive year, plastics continued to dominate as the most commonly reported material type.

Our Waste Challenges

Although still best known for one day of truly significant environmental action, Clean Up Australia has evolved to focus as much on preventing rubbish entering our environment as it does on removing what has already accumulated, by advocating for and championing solutions that move us towards a circular economy.

Although during FY22 we welcomed the escalation of state-led banning of a number of problematic single-use plastic items, a recent report by the Minderoo Foundation revealed Australia generates the most single-use plastic waste per capita in the world, with the equivalent of 60kgs of waste for every Australian per year. Clearly, there is much work still to do and Clean Up Australia actively supports communities, businesses and governments advocating for better access to resource recovery programs and implementing solutions that demonstrate circular economy action.

2022 was also the year when Australia became the first continent to embrace container refund schemes. While yet to be operational in Victoria and Tasmania, we look forward to a continued expansion and national harmonisation.

We also welcome and applaud the opening of stateof-the-art collection and recycling facilities such as the nation’s largest PET recycling plant - Circular Plastics Australia in Albury – which is capable of processing one billion plastic bottles each year.

In association with Clean Up Australia Day 2022, Coles Liquor again adopted Clean Up Australia as its beneficiary partner for its Drop of Good Campaign. Donating 25c from sales of all nontobacco products in Liquorland and First Choice stores over the weekend of Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March, the initiative raised over $115,000 which was allocated to the purchase of Clean Up materials in support of everyday action.

This initiative was in addition to the support of Coles supermarket shoppers, through which 30c from the sale of hessian reusable bags and 2c from the marine content reusable plastic bag is donated to Clean Up Australia. So, when you see a Coles shopper with a hessian or blue reusable bag, give them a smile of thanks from us!

Through a partnership with Unilever, we celebrated and promoted the use of recycled content in packaging. This, our third joint sustainability event, saw Unilever partnering with Coles and Clean Up Australia to educate shoppers on closing the plastic loop, by choosing recycled plastic and resulted in a $100,000 donation to Clean Up Australia via a 10c donation on participating products purchased.

We work with our Allies to encourage their network to participate in Clean Up activities and to make more sustainable choices, while promoting the vital role our Allies play in supporting Clean Up Australia.

We are also grateful to the many businesses which choose Clean Up Australia as their beneficiary, especially noting:

Platinum Cables which annually donates 1% of their profit to Clean Up Australia, this year totalling $90,000

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia provided a grant of $75,000 for the purchase of materials to enable Clean Up Australia to work with local governments across Australia to assist them to become disaster ready

• Employees of Jemena, who nominated Clean Up Australia as one of four beneficiaries of funds raised during a series of initiatives undertaken during the calendar year

• Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour which donates profits from the sale of biodegradable ponchos

• Vibe Coffee an online retailer of coffee beans and biodegradable pods which donates 7% of every order to Clean Up Australia

• Slalom Australia – employees of which donated their skills and their Christmas bonus to Clean Up Australia

Donating to Clean Up Australia means you can be part of Australia’s waste solution, all year round. We pledge 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to empowering Australians to take action for the environment.

Clean Up Australia is proud to have achieved the ACNC seal of approval as a compliant registered charity that fulfils our allocation pledge.

Donations help fund free resources and materials to communities, schools and youth groups throughout the year, supporting all Australians to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment.

As an additional fundraising stream and to offer our community an alternative means of donating, Clean Up Australia continued its association with Play for Purpose, an innovative fundraising solution that is a not-for-profit online raffle. Supporters buy tickets for $10, knowing that a minimum of $5 from every ticket is donated to Clean Up Australia.

During 2022 we also secured the support of PayPal, encouraging users to donate to Clean Up Australia at checkout during transactions made in the month of March. PayPal users could also nominate Clean Up Australia as their favourite charity on the PayPal app and make a $1 donation each time they checkout throughout the year.

You can see the full list of corporate donors at https://www.cleanup.org.au/2022-changemakers

Cleanaway works with Clean Up Australia to initiate, demonstrate and deliver sustainable practices that reduce environmental impact.