Recycling 101: Common Recycling Myths, Debunked

Recycling is genuinely complex. Plastic, aluminium and glass each need different processes to become new materials, and the rules change depending on where you live and who collects your waste. That complexity has bred a long list of recycling myths, some of which contradict each other. Here are the ones we hear most often, and what is actually true in 2026.

Myth: most of us are good at recycling

Confidence and accuracy are two different things. A 2019 study by Planet Ark and Nestlé found that 94% of Australians were putting at least one non-recyclable item in their recycling bin, while 60% described themselves as extremely confident recyclers. Little suggests that gap has closed since.

Most mistakes come down to not knowing the local rules, because recycling genuinely does differ from place to place. The fix is straightforward: check your council or waste provider's accepted-materials list, choose reusables to create less waste in the first place, and put a clear recycling plan in place at home and at work.

Myth: recycling rules are the same everywhere

They are not, though this myth is slowly becoming less wrong. Rules still vary between countries, councils and providers, which means your workplace may follow different rules from your home.

The good news is that standardisation is happening. Since February 2024, every council in New Zealand accepts the same core materials at kerbside: glass bottles and jars, paper and cardboard, metal tins and cans, and plastics 1, 2 and 5, with lids removed and nothing smaller than a credit card. In England, workplaces with ten or more full-time staff have had to separate recycling, food waste and general waste since March 2025 under the Simpler Recycling rules, with households following from March 2026. Commercial collections still vary by provider, so it always pays to check.

Myth: recycling costs more than it saves

Clean, separated streams are cheaper for waste providers to process than mixed waste, so many charge less for them. And with landfill levies rising in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, sending less to landfill directly lowers your waste bill.

Container deposit schemes help too. Every Australian state and territory now runs one (Tasmania was the last, in May 2025), refunding 10 cents per eligible container, and the UK's scheme is due to launch in October 2027. New Zealand still doesn't have one, despite years of campaigning. Where a scheme exists, not using it leaves money in the bin.

Myth: nothing actually gets recycled anyway

This one took hold after China stopped importing most foreign plastic waste in 2018, and there is a kernel of truth in it. The OECD estimates that only 9% of the world's plastic waste is actually recycled. But plastic is the hardest case, not the whole story. Glass and metal can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality, and paper and cardboard are recycled at far higher rates than plastic.

The honest conclusion: the system is imperfect, and reducing waste beats recycling it. But recycling done properly still keeps valuable materials in use, and demand for recycled content keeps growing as more countries work toward a circular economy. Keep doing it, and keep advocating for better systems.

Myth: the recycling symbol means an item is recyclable

The chasing-arrows symbol with a number on the bottom of a plastic container is a resin identification code. It tells you what type of plastic the item is made from, not whether your collection accepts it. This misunderstanding has persisted for more than forty years.

Clearer labelling now exists: the Australasian Recycling Label in Australia and New Zealand, and OPRL's "Recycle" labels in the UK, tell you what to do with each part of a package. Where labels are missing, learn what the numbers mean and check them against your local accepted list.

Myth: some things simply can't be recycled

Most materials can be recycled in the right facility; the real question is whether a collection pathway exists near you. E-waste is a good example. It doesn't belong in kerbside or commercial recycling bins, but dedicated e-waste recyclers operate in most regions. Soft plastics can be dropped off at participating stores in New Zealand, and collections in Australia have been slowly rebuilding since REDcycle collapsed in 2022.

Tracking down solutions for hard-to-recycle items is a practical step toward zero waste at work. Look up sustainability groups in your area, or ask manufacturers directly whether they take back their old products.

Myth: materials can only be recycled once

Glass and metal can go around indefinitely. Paper can be recycled several times before its fibres become too short to use. Even plastic can usually be recycled more than once: plastics 1, 2 and 5 are routinely turned into new products of similar quality, though most plastic is eventually downcycled or needs some virgin material blended in.

That is why the order of operations matters. Avoid plastic where you can, buy products with recycled content, and choose easier-to-recycle materials first.

Myth: compostable plastics solve the problem

Compostable and biodegradable plastics sound like a free pass to keep consuming as usual. In reality, most only break down properly in high-temperature commercial composting facilities, which most households and workplaces can't access. They can't go in kerbside recycling either; New Zealand's standardised rules exclude compostable packaging altogether.

When bioplastics end up in landfill, they break down slowly and release methane, a greenhouse gas the IPCC estimates traps around 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Bioplastics have a place, but only where a genuine composting pathway exists and reusable or recyclable options have been exhausted first.

Myth: the cleaners just mix it all together anyway

If a recycling system is set up well, they don't. Brief your cleaning team early, make sure they understand your organisation's waste goals, and design the back-of-house process with them rather than around them. Then choose a waste provider you trust, one that collects the right streams and can tell you where each one ends up.

How to keep recycling myths in check

There are more recycling myths out there than we can cover here. The best defence is staying informed: keep up with your local rules, correct misinformation when you hear it, and share what you learn with your team so they can recycle with confidence too.

Common questions

Which plastics can go in kerbside recycling in New Zealand?

Plastics 1, 2 and 5 only, under the standardised rules that took effect in February 2024. Lids come off, and nothing smaller than a credit card goes in the bin.

Does the recycling symbol on plastic mean it's recyclable?

No. It is a resin identification code that identifies the type of plastic, so check the number against your local accepted-materials list instead.

Are compostable plastics better than ordinary plastic?

Only if they will actually reach a commercial composting facility. In landfill they release methane, so a recyclable or reusable option is usually the better choice.