APCO report reveals need for consumer recycling education

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has published Australasian Recycling Label Consumer Insights Report 2023, its annual benchmarking survey exploring consumer recycling attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in Australian and New Zealand.

The report reveals 74% of Australians still believe that regular recycling is the most impactful thing they can do for the environment. It was voted more environmentally impactful than reusable shopping bags (61%), switching the lights off (58%) and using refillable containers (43%). Meanwhile, only 20% of Australians think cutting their red meat consumption is a top green priority and 34% consider swapping the bus or train for the car will drive the biggest impact.

When it comes to recycling, confusion is still a challenge. 50% of Australian households find it difficult to know what can and can’t be recycled at home and 65% want more information about how to recycle. Australians are also embracing their local drop-off point, with 21% using their local container deposit scheme (CDS) to drop off plastic bottles while 30% use the service to earn cash on their aluminium cans.

On-pack labelling continues to present the best channel for businesses to help customers recycle correctly. Packaging labels are the most common places people look for recycling advice, with 62% of Australians looking at least once, while 52% would look to the signage around their bins or a simple google search.

Australians continue to benefit from the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL). Awareness of it has grown from 47% in 2018 to 76% in 2023 and 74% of Australians want to see it on all packaging. When tested about which packaging belongs in the yellow bin, Australians were better recyclers when the ARL was present on pack.

The ARL program has positively influenced the packaging design choices of brand owners and promotes circular economy initiatives. As an evidence-based recycling label in Australia and New Zealand, the ARL plays a significant role in positively impacting consumer behaviour at the bin and at the checkout.

APCO CEO Chris Foley said it is essential to understand what everyday people experience at the bin to build an effective recycling system. According to Foley, it is encouraging that Australians still trust and value recycling after the closure of the REDcycle program.

“For businesses, it’s essential we reward that trust by providing accurate recycling information to make the process as simple as possible. We know the ARL plays a vital role in helping consumers make responsible purchasing and packaging recycling decisions. More than that, it’s a great tool for businesses to understand the materials they are using in their packaging and what the environmental outcomes are,” Foley said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mari Nelson