Hidden in plain sight: what the recycling crisis really looks like

The recycling industry is in crisis, yet for most Australians it's out of mind beyond the rattle of the recycling bin pickups each week. So what does this crisis really look like? Guardian Australia visited three processing sites to find out what happens to bins once they leave the kerbThe recycling industry has been in crisis mode in Australia since January when China, which previously bought 50% of the recycling we collect, implemented a ban that cut out 99% of what we used to sell.Recycling companies had relied on this export revenue stream to stay afloat - the amount of waste recycling we create exceeds the demand we have to buy and use within Australia. Without an outlet, some companies began stockpiling recycling or sending it straight to landfill. Continue reading...