This year for National Recycling Week we’re focusing on what we can do in our communities to help our sustainable impact. We sat down with Community Leader and Recycling Guru, Narelle Kuppers, at Precious Plastic Margaret River to chat about some of the amazing things she does for our local community and how we can all recycle “better”.
- How can we recycle “better”?
We need to educate people on how to recycle properly, and why it is so important needs to be more readily available within each community. It is up to every individual to take responsibility for their contribution to waste & disposing of it in the best possible way.
- What resources do you offer to the local community?
We mainly recycle plastic lids that would otherwise end up in landfill. We provide a place for volunteers to come and sort the lids with an educational element as to why recycling the right way is so important & also what can be created with a material that would otherwise be discarded as rubbish.
- You often do work for schools, how do you get the kids involved?
We have 2 machines we can mobilize for demonstrations, a shredder the kids can feed the lids into & see them being broken down, and then another machine that injects a mould & creates a whole new item, such as the We Are Feel Good Inc. recycled comb. We get the kids sorting lids into different types of plastic and helping remove the contamination. This instils why it is so important items need to be cleaned prior to being put into the recycling bin.
- There’s importance in teaching the next generation, what advice do you have for those looking to instil good recycling practices with their kids? Where should they start?
Recycling needs to start in the home; reduce, reuse, recycle. It comes back to every individual being accountable. To start with, simply have the conversation of why it’s important to recycle and then lead by example. If it’s a practice that’s created at home, it becomes habit.
- You’ve come across some obstacles in recent years, but never stopped doing what you do. What kept you so motivated?
My motivation comes from the change I can see in our community since starting this project, but also fear of what is going to happen if we don’t start acting and making change. I feel like there is not enough importance shown by federal or state government on the matter and it is going to be up to private sectors that make the significant changes. Even smaller initiatives, such as the We Are Feel Good Inc. Bottle Recycling Program, can give light to how coming together as a community can lead lasting change.