According to Shoalhaven City councillor John Wells residents and businesses do well to sort the right items into the yellow-topped bins, but he said there was always room for improvement.

Last financial year the Nowra Waste Depot collected 2180 tonnes of rubbish per month, a total of 26,200 tonnes.

“We could do more by developing an alternative waste technology plant in West Nowra,” he said.

Mr Wells explained there were new systems available which sorted material from red-topped bins into various breakdown materials and recyclable products.

“Council has selected three companies who submitted an expression of interest to do this. They have now been invited to submit a tender, in the new year, for a new plant,” he said.

“Landfill space is precious and once it’s full – well no-one wants a new landfill next to their place.

“We pay $8 million to the state government per year to put our rubbish into landfill.”

He said this alternative method could save money, help alleviate landfill pressures and make the Shoalhaven a leader in waste management.

Shoalhaven Recycling is a proud innovator of recycling methods within the area.

Project manager Stephen Willis said many people don’t realise that once glass is smashed to a size too small for recycling it was useless.

“The Environmental Protection Authority allow us to turn our broken bits into what we refer to as ‘glass sand’ and it can be used in the construction industry as a replacement for natural sand,” he said.

“It had been a big challenge for us to find a market for the product in the area, but we’re seeing a change.”

Mr Willis said he believed the shift was due to an environmentally conscious South Coast community and local construction industry. 

Shoalhaven Recycling started making the product six years ago, but it has only been the last 12 months they have noticed an increase in the demand.

The biggest challenge the company face is plastic bags. 

Mr Willis said it was important people learnt not to put their recyclables into plastic bags.

“It makes it difficult to get the recyclable materials out and the bags are then taken to landfill.”

Planet Ark Environmental Foundation recently released a report, All Sorted, which surveyed 115 councils across Australia and asked them what the three most common recycling mistakes made by their residents were.

Nine out of ten councils said plastic bags and soft plastics in the recycling bin was one of the most common mistakes made by their residents.

Nearly half of councils reported residents mistakenly placing kerbside recyclables into the general waste bin and food contamination of recyclables was the third most common mistake, highlighted by 23 per cent of councils.

The kerbside recycling rate in Australia is currently 51 per cent, with the volume of waste continuing to grow. 

An Australian Recycling Label has been launched to help reduce consumer confusion.

For tips on what and how to recycle visit the Shoalhaven City Council website: https://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/Environment/Waste-and-recycling.