Done effectively, it also saves us money.

While recycling rates are improving across the Upper Hunter Shire, we can all do better.

In the year 2015-16, around 10,000 tonnes of waste was deposited at Upper Hunter Shire landfills, including 3,555 tonnes from the fortnightly kerbside waste collection.

The good news is that about 1000 tonnes from the recycling kerbside bins, did not go to landfill, it was usefully recycled. 

So keep up the sorting and separating.

An audit of 223 kerbside bins in the Shire found, on average, households had 160 litres of waste in their bin a week and 167 litres of recycling a fortnight.

This community has a relatively high resource recovery rate for recyclables at 61%, with the highest rate in Murrurundi (65%), Merriwa (63%), Aberdeen (60%) then Scone (58%).

Disappointingly one in seven recycling bins were contaminated with non-recyclable waste.

While the wizbin with a yellow lid is what most of us think of when we talk about recycling, there are many other ways to save money and protect the environment.

Searching for second hand or pre-loved goods instead of shopping for new items, is another form of recycling. At waste depots, useful items are separated by Council staff and are available for purchase. At Scone Waste Depot, residents can browse and buy second hand goods from the Quality Shoppe.

Residents can drop off domestic amounts of e-waste, batteries, and recyclables at waste depots. While there are costs to Council to provide a free e-waste service, it helps ensure hazardous materials such as lead, bromine, mercury and zinc do not leach out from landfills into waterways.

Scone and Merriwa waste depots are drumMUSTER collection sites, where you can bring in empty, clean, eligible agvet chemical containers. Over 30,000 containers have been recycled through the Scone and Merriwa depots already.

Create a safer home or workplace by getting rid of potentially hazardous household chemicals during the annual CleanOut on Saturday, 26 November 216 at Wilson Memorial Park, Murrurundi from 9am to 3.30pm.  The CleanOut program is a free service for the safe disposal of common chemicals which could harm human health and the environment.

Another benefit of diverting recyclables from landfill, is reducing the amount Council pays under the NSW Government Waste Levy. For every tonne of waste collected, Council pays $78.20 to the NSW Government. Last financial year $617,000 was paid by Council under the Waste Levy.

Together with landfill operating costs, such as licensing, monitoring and environmental management, is why residents pay fees and charges at the depots. Rubbish costs, recycling saves.

There are initiatives funded through grants from the Waste Levy through the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). In the Upper Hunter this includes new recycling facilities at Scone Waste Depot and the annual household Chemical CleanOut.

Council is continually seeking to improve waste and recycling services. In 2015, Council adopted the Integrated Waste Management Strategy.

One part of that strategy is converting Murrurundi landfill, which is reaching the end of its life, into a transfer station and resource recovery centre.  Another is closing Cassilis landfill and introducing bulk bin waste and recycling facilities within the village.

Other Council projects being investigated include development of an organics processing facility at Scone Waste Depot, kerbside organics waste collection (a green bin), upgraded recycling and resource recovery facilities and introduction of a Community Recycling Centre at Scone for problem waste such as paint, oils, fluoro tubes, gas bottles, and fire extinguishers.

Council is also exploring further resource sharing and cooperation with neighbouring Councils to reduce the costs of recycling and waste management.

Recycling services cost money to provide, but the more people that use them, the more they pay for themselves.