Rinse, Recycle, Repeat: Recycling competition offers $25,000 prize

Rinse, Recycle, Repeat: The message is simple. Image / Supplied

The Waste Management Institute of New Zealand (WasteMINZ) is offering a $25,000 prize for the best social media post promoting cleaner recycling as part of its Rinse, Recycle, Repeat competition.

The competition aims to encourage people to get into the habit of rinsing their tins, jars, and bottles before they go into the recycling bin and asks entrants to upload a video or content showing how they rinse their recycling the right way and post to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok, and tag @RinseRecycleRepeatNZ.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate is fully behind the message of the competition and says: "We love our environment, and we are all committed to protecting it for future generations."

Every year New Zealanders create 17.49 million tonnes of waste and an estimated 25% of recyclable items end up being sent to landfill because they are contaminated. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Every year New Zealanders create 17.49 million tonnes of waste and an estimated 25 per cent of recyclable items end up being sent to landfills because they are contaminated or not clean enough for the recycling process.

On average it costs $212 per tonne or $1000 per truck to send non-recyclable items to landfills and this cost is passed on to ratepayers around the country.

Southgate says: "One way we can all get involved is to rinse your recycling so it's clean before it goes into your recycling bin. Get the whole family or household into it and make it a habitual task – just remember rinse, recycle, repeat, it's easy and takes no time at all."

WasteMINZ Sector Projects Manager Sarah Pritchett says landfill was a needless end for potentially recyclable materials.

"We can do better. We really want to encourage people to give rinsing their recycling a go and to realise that it's not that hard. Their effort will reduce our waste to landfills significantly, so their actions have a huge positive flow-on effect."

The competition runs until November 5 and is part of a wider WasteMINZ campaign funded by the Ministry for the Environment aiming to change behaviour when it comes to recycling practices.

• To have a look at the conditions of the competition click here.

*bull; For more information on rubbish and recycling and waste minimisation tips, visit fightthelandfill.co.nz