Are Rubber Bands Recyclable? ♻️ Let’s Find Out!

Are Rubber Bands Recyclable? ♻️: In this blog, we will find out whether or not you can recycle rubber bands. We will also cover other options aside from recycling the average Aussie citizen can do should this person have too much rubber bands at home. Continue reading to learn more.

There is certainly a lot to be missed when working at the office. Working at home seems comfortable and all, but nothing beats my leisurely walk before work in the morning. What I miss most, however, is picking up brekky and lunch in containers by my local café that I enjoy eating (or munching down like a maniac?) during my breaks. Ah, so nostalgic.

However, just before the lockdown happened (forcing us to stay at home for work), that same café started using rubber bands to shut tight my containers. Do I appreciate them doing this? I would not really know? Although it protects my ordered food from spilling, it also give me and the environment more waste to think about and handle. Ordering there for a few weeks before the lockdown occurred, I gathered quite a handful of rubber bands, cluttered at my home.

Of course, I started thinking: how can I dispose of these rubber bands the environmentally responsible way? Should I take the obvious route and try to recycle them? Are rubber bands even recyclable? Or, are there other options in dealing with rubber bands.

Let us continue our discussion and talk about all of that below.

Waste has recycling solutions available for small and medium Aussie businesses

Before we take you further into the discussion and determine whether or not rubber bands are recyclable and other available options for it should recycling not be available, we want to share Waster with you.

Who is Waster? Why do plenty consider it as one of the best waste and recycling companies in Australia?

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Simply put, Waster provides you with innovative solutions for your and your business’s waste management and recycling needs. In addition to that, we provide flexible, 30-day contracts instead of the typical lock-in contracts, which proves a better choice nowadays.

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READ: Is Carpet Recycling Possible In Australia? 🏠 

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Are rubber bands recyclable? Waster answers

Can you even recycled your collected rubber bands at home to avoid sending it to landfill? Or, is there no chance at all? We answer these questions below.

In Australia, calls for rubber bands to be disposed of in postal boxes have been made by environmentally conscious Australians. This plea came after reports of the Royal Mail in the UK revealed that users have the option to donate their rubber bands via their post boxes for recycling or repurposing surfaced.

Technically, rubber bands are indeed recyclable. Again, you can recycle rubber bands. However, does that mean you can place them in your recycling bin? Usually, the answer to that question is no. You cannot place your rubber bands in your average recycling bin.

There might be recycling facilities that specifically cater rubber band waste – if so, then you should consider contacting your local council to learn more.

What about composting or biodegrading? Is that a good option for rubber bands?

Do you know where rubber bands came from? If not. we will share with you where. Rubber bands came from the sap of a rubber tree.

Why are we asking our readers this? We specifically asked where rubber bands came from because, basing from the answer above, it has a chance of being composted.

So, yes, there is a possibility of both composting and biodegrading rubber bands. Rubber bands are compostable and biodegradable as much as they are recyclable. However, we would recommend other and much better options because rubber bands take a bit too long to break down, compost and/or biodegrade. It might take around 50 years to biodegrade rubber bands, according to experts. That would certainly take too long. By that time, too many have already accumulated.

What would we recommend you do then? Of course, we cannot easily recommend you to not buy and use rubber bands. So, we have the next best option for you: reusing it for the same or other purposes.

Reusing or repurposing rubber bands

Even if rubber bands are recyclable, compostable and biodegradable, reusing or repurposing them is a better option.

Rubber bands are like plastic, they also have a lot of uses. You can also easily reuse them for different purposes. Even upcycling is a good option for your rubber bands as you can create plenty of different designs such as different arts and crafts. But, let us focus on something easier and less work to do.

Generally, you can reuse rubber bands to seal opened containers. Have any unfinished food products you still want to consume another time? You can seal them tightly using rubber bands. Want to limit how much liquid soap comes out of a dispenser? Wrap a rubber band around its neck, just under where the soap comes out, according to Green Mountain Energy. This will lessen the amount of soap coming out of the bottle. As a result, less soap and water is wasted! To give you an example, when washing containers, you will consume less soap and water cleaning them whilst still removing contaminants effectively.

Now, are rubber bands recyclable? Waster’s final thoughts

So, there you have it. In theory, you can recycle rubber bands, but you cannot place them in your recycling bin. You have to look for a recycling facility that accepts rubber bands for reusing or recycling.

Composting and biodegrading are options, as well, albeit not strong ones. You have to wait for a very long time before rubber bands successfully compost or biodegrade.

Our best bet would be to reuse or repurpose them instead. Or, you could also avoid using them and use more environmentally friendly alternatives.

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Please call 1300 WASTER (1300 927 837).  You can also email us at [email protected] if you have any further questions. Find the best deals in terms of waste and recycling pricing and services!