Think you know how to recycle? Take the quiz

How well do you know your recycling? Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Recycling should be straightforward: paper goes in the blue bin; plastics, glass and metal in the yellow bin; dead plants in the green bin and everything else in the red bin – right?

Except it’s not always quite that easy. What do you do with mixed packaging? How do you deal with neighbours doing the wrong thing? And what to do with pizza boxes?

But there are answers to persistent recycling conundrums and so, with thanks to Planet Ark and the Boomerang Alliance, here’s a quiz to test your recycling knowledge.

1. You forgot your reusable coffee cup at home. Can you recycle disposable coffee cups?

   1. Yes

   2. No

2. You’ve been clothes shopping. Can you recycle those shopping bags?

   1. Yes

   2. No.

3. Do plastic drink bottles go straight in the yellow bin?

   1. Yes.

   2. No

4. Are nappies recyclable?

   1. Yes

   2. No

5. Should soft plastic bags such as bread bags, wrapping and other scrunchable plastics go in the yellow bin?

   1. Yes.

   2. No

6. Can an aerosol be recycled?

   1. Yes

   2. No

7. Do pizza boxes go in the paper bin?

   1. Yes

   2. No

8. Should you put polystyrene in the recycling bin?

   1. Yes.

   2. No

9. You’re getting rid of old glasses or ceramic plates. Do they go in the recycling bin?

   1. Yes.

   2. No

10. The top recycling mistake is...

    1. Placing recycling in plastic bags and then putting them in the recycling bin.

    2. Putting recyclable items in the general rubbish bin.

    3. Putting pizza boxes in the recycling.

11. Can you recycle computers, tyres, mobile phones, toners and paint?

    1. Yes

    2. No.

12. Can you recycle Pringles containers?

    1. Yes.

    2. No

13. Can you recycle household batteries?

    1. Yes

    2. No.

14. 

    A box of chocolates has this label on the side. What on earth does it mean?

    1. Toss the whole box into any of the bins.

    2. Separate the plastic from the paper and bin accordingly.

Solutions

1:A - ...kind of. The lid can go in the plastic recycling bin but the cup itself needs to go in the garbage., 2:A - Remove the synthetic handles and recycle the paper bag in the paper bin., 3:B - Remove the label and recycle it with other soft plastics. Then separate the lid and safety ring from the bottle as these are different plastics to the actual bottle. Place them all in the yellow bin. , 4:B - Despite the fact that 10% of the population apparently think nappies are recyclable, they are a health risk to those that process recycling. , 5:B - Collect them up and drop them off at the Redcycle bins, mostly found at supermarkets, such as Coles, Woolworths and Safeway. , 6:A - – if it's empty., 7:B - ... not if they have food scraps or grease on them. But if you separate any part of the box that has grease or food scraps on it, the remainder can go in paper bin. Anything contaminated should go in the regular waste bin., 8:B - Polystyrene foam prevents paper from being recycled., 9:B - Drinkware glass melts at a different temperature to bottles and jars, and clog the machines. Similarly, ceramics can’t be processed. , 10:A - Recycling in plastic bags ends up in the landfill, and is the most common mistake. Putting recyclable items in the general rubbish bin is the second most common mistake. Food contamination is the third most common mistake. Pet food cans, takeaway containers and pizza boxes are all problematic, because food, oil and grease contaminate the recycling process., 11:A - There are a number of free schemes that recycle these things. Cartridges 4 Planet Ark takes toner cartidges, Mobile Muster collects old mobile phones, Techcollect collects televisions, computers and other peripherals, Tyre Stewartship recycles tyres and PaintBack is an industry recycling and safe disposal scheme for old paint., 12:B - Unfortunately the materials used to make these tubes are too complicated to be separated and recycled., 13:A - Handheld batteries can be dropped off points designated by Australian Battery Recycling initiative. , 14:B

Scores

1. 11 and above.

   Well done! You’re practically a recycling legend. Now don’t forget your green bags next time you go shopping.

2. 6 and above.

   You’re like most of us - almost there. With a bit more effort, you can make a greater impact on Australia’s waste recycling crisis.

3. 0 and above.

   Okay, so that was a learning exercise. Find out even more at Planet Ark.

Each local council does things slightly differently. Planet Ark has a free recycling app Recycle smart, which allows you to select your local council and then find out what to do with everything from cork to kitty litter.