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Aerosol recycling award for Baulkham Hills

Aerosols cans frequently have the lowest awareness when it comes to recycling as people tend to think they are too dangerous to recycle or don’t think of them as steel packaging. To reverse the trend, Baulkham Hills Shire Council undertook a public education campaign.

Its efforts have been recognised at the Sixth Australasian Aerosol Industry Awards, where it was successful in winning the award for the Best Support of Aerosol Can Recycling. The national award was sponsored by the Steel Can Recycling Council of Australia.

Baulkham Hills Aerosol Can Recycling campaign involved the display of a number of educational posters at bus shelters throughout the Shire promoting the fact that aerosol and steel cans can be recycled using Council’s kerbside recycling service.

The results of Council’s six monthly garbage and recycling audit revealed that the resource recovery rate for aerosol cans had improved following the six week bus shelter advertising campaign. Over the past 12 months, Baulkham Hills has recycled nearly 300 tonnes of steel in its kerbside recycling program that would otherwise be deposited into landfill.

This campaign increased the recycling of aerosols from 20 per cent to 30 per cent over an 18 month period. It also brought the issue of recycling of aerosols to people’s attention.

The audit results showed that the resource recovery rates for steel cans or aerosol cans were lower than they should be. Before the campaign Baulkham Hills Shire Council carried out a bin audit which revealed that only 20.5 per cent of aerosol cans were being returned for recycling. A year later thanks to increased awareness the figure had increased to 30 per cent.

For more information contact Waste Management Coordinator, Jane Deane, on (02) 9843 0473.

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