There has been a considerable effort over the past few decades to improve recycling rates worldwide, and Europe is leading the way in this regard.
Germany, for example, has one of the highest recycling rates globally, recycling around 56% of the waste it generates. Although there are various methods to calculate the recycling rate, Germany’s is commendable.
Germany has not always been a world leader in recycling. However, in 1990, the country conducted a comprehensive review of its waste and recycling management systems, which resulted in a complete overhaul of the system. The aim was to improve the percentage of waste that Germany recycles.
While recycling is often associated with Europe, there are also a few Asian countries that do an excellent job in waste management and recycling.
Based on the Rates 2022 EPI report, South Korea, Samoa, Benin, Iceland, Australia, Vanuatu, and Singapore have recycling rates of over 50%. South Korea has the highest recycling rate of approximately 67.1%, which is considerably higher than some of the European countries on the list.
South Korea has several successful private companies that collect waste, recycle it, and sell it for a profit.
Here is an interesting video we found on YouTube titled ‘Treasure Found in Rubbish’. The video shows how rubbish is transformed into gold.
Could this video give us some ideas that could be useful for New Zealand?
