You’ve probably heard of ‘food miles’ – the idea that transporting food over long distances gives it a huge carbon footprint relative to locally produced food.
Those out of season Californian grapes and Peruvian asparagus spears may be delicious but they come with much bigger clouds of carbon dioxide emissions than locally grown, in-season produce.
Recycling miles
It’s a similar story when it comes to recycling. Large amounts of recyclable materials are shipped around the globe, racking up millions of recycling miles. Sometimes this is because there are no facilities in Australia that are able to recycle a particular type of waste, or the main markets for the recycled materials may be elsewhere.
Where local recycling companies are able to safely process a particular waste stream, however, there’s a real opportunity to slash those recycling miles.
Think global, act local
Sure, it’s a cliché, but the message is a valid one. Recycling locally cuts carbon emissions. It also creates more jobs within Australia and reduces the number of hands that the waste needs to pass through before it is recycled.
Some waste materials can go through a dozen different countries before it is finally recycled, and that increases the risk of waste being diverted and illegally dumped.
Our commitment
Ecocycle continues to invest in local recycling infrastructure for the safe processing of mercury-contaminated waste from many industries, including those involved in resource extraction.
The result is that we are able to handle much of the mercury-containing waste created by Australian oil and gas producers. Aside from ensuring the safe recovery of mercury, an added bonus is a big reduction in the carbon emissions that would otherwise occur when transporting this waste to the other side of the world.
Find out how easy it is to take the carbon miles off your company’s recycling. Give us a call on 1300 32 62 92, or fill out the form below and one of our resource industry experts can speak to you about a solution for your recycling needs.
