INSIDE IES
IES Recycling – Where our rubbish actually goes
Is it really worth taking the time to use the yellow bin?
© Smithsonian Magazine
Eliza Canfield in Spring Hill, Brisbane
As a school, IES College prides itself in its pursuit of progressive, inclusive, and environmentally friendly values. And, for the most part, these values are expressed by the student body.
While working on this article, my constant questioning led many people to doubt that IES actually recycles.
Rubbish bins in level 2 common area
However, after talking to a number of staff members and surveying students, it seems likely that issues fall not with facilities and organisation, but with appropriate use of bins provided.
Mandy Brussow
Many people are concerned because the yellow recycling bins are lined with black garbage bags. If the recycling was disposed of inside the plastic bags, it would not be recycled. Mandy Brussow (Business manager at IES) clarified that the cleaning crew responsible for the bins collects the recycling and waste separately.
The black plastic bags in the recycling bins are tipped out into a collective recycling container on the cleaning trolley, which is then taken to the yellow-top dumpster in the school car park.
The data from the student recycling survey indicated that many people were concerned about the destination of our rubbish, but only 50% of respondents feel certain they know what can be put into school recycling bins. Additionally, 70% of people used the yellow recycling bins “Always” or “Often”, while this is relatively decent, many of the people using the bins may be discarding items that cannot be recycled due to a lack of adequate knowledge and signage at IES.
Malaika Von Hoyer-Davies
Recycling dumpster at the IES College carpark
Maliaka Von Hoyer-Davies from facilities assures students that it does make a difference which bins students choose to use, and that “all recycled materials go to the council recycle centre.” From there, Brisbane City Council collects the rubbish and recycling from the two skips behind the school. The recycling is then processed at a Visy facility on Gibson Island.
Visy is the largest recycling company in Australia, processing upwards of two million tonnes of recyclables per year. Their Gibson Island facility utilises both technological and human sorting processes to sort recyclables and remove general waste. It is our responsibility to make sure that we dispose of our waste appropriately and thoughtfully in order to minimise non-recyclables being sent to Visy, and ultimately ending up in landfill.
Unfortunately, there is minimal information displayed around student bins regarding what can be processed by Visy. Many would likely be surprised to hear that Visy does not accept paper/carboard coffee cups, such as those provided at the school café. However, the plastic lids, once cleaned, should be disposed of in recycling bins.
Find out more about what Visy can and can’t recycle here: https://www.visy.com/sites/default/files/2023-12/Visy%20Household%20Recycling%20Poster.pdf
The best thing we can do to improve waste management at IES is to be thoughtful and take the time to find out what can be disposed of in recycling bins. This can be achieved by printing out informational posters and displaying them in shared spaces near bins and by trying to use re-usable containers (especially keep cups) to reduce the amount of landfill rubbish we produce. It is very important that IES improves signage, this can be organised by the student council.
Recycling information displayed near the school dumpsters
Keep up with what’s happening.
The IES Underground Newsletter delivers the freshest news right to your inbox. Let’s make something incredible happen.
Promoted Content