Homegrown - Issue 19 - News

Aug 7, 2026

News content explains the environmental benefits of recycling Australian dairy containers after use. It details how plastic milk bottles and yoghurt tubs made from HDPE, as well as cartons made from liquid paperboard, are collected, separated at materials recovery facilities, washed, processed, and remanufactured into new non-food products such as outdoor furniture and paper. The text also explains how plastic identification codes help consumers confirm container types and what materials can or cannot be used for food packaging.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages88

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

News

Australian Dairies are Recycling

Recycling milk and yoghurt containers

The Urban Beehive – Where to Start?.................................30 Leave No Trace – Eco Holidays ...............................................72 A Very Open Garden.....................................................................24 Food Swaps......................................................................................38 Autumn In the Vegie Patch...........................................................8 Autumn Vegetable Calendar ....................................................10 Incubating and Hatching – Raising Baby Chicks .............14 Crop Rotation .................................................................................20 Chill Time ..........................................................................................28 A Guide to Planting in the Shade ..........................................40 Growing Carrots ............................................................................46 Growing Autumn Asian Greens...............................................48 Classic Mediterranean Fruit Revival....................................60 Purslane – Weed or Wonder Food?.......................................76 Creating a Sensory Garden With Herbs .............................78 Wine Hutch .......................................................................................55 14 4630 54 84 Home Baking with Fresh Flour & Flakes ......................................58 Preserving Fruit Juice the Easy Way – Steam Juicing..................68 Fermenting Foods...........................................................................................84 One Bowl Carrot Cake ......................................................................... 47 Skippy Anzac Biscuits ......................................................................... 59 Tuna and Olive Pasta............................................................................ 36 Roast Figs with Feta Cheese ............................................................ 38 Orange, Cheese and Pomegranate Salad .....................................40 Wild Purslane Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil ..........................63 Making and Baking Sourdough Bread ..........................................86 Fermenting Vegetables ......................................................................87 How to Make Yoghurt ..........................................................................88 40 72 News Australian Dairies are Recycling Ever wondered what happens to your milk and yoghurt containers after you wheel your recycling bin out onto the kerb? Chances are, they are back in your house in another familiar shape! T he Australian dairy industry is committed to sustainable practices – both on and off the farm. Recycling your milk and yoghurt containers has enormous benefits for the environment. Not only are materials diverted from landfill when we recycle, but we also save natural resources and reduce our environmental impact. Whether your milk container comes in plastic or a cardboard, its life is not over once you have drained the last drop! Recycling plastic milk and yoghurt containers Plastic milk bottles and many yoghurt tubs are made from HDPE. After your recycling bin is picked up by the local council, it is taken to a materials recovery facility, where the containers are separated from other types of plastic. The plastic is then sent to a reprocessing plant and chopped into small flakes, washed with recycled water to remove residual milk, labels and caps, then melted and filtered to remove any other contamination. The molten plastic is then turned into pellets that can be remoulded into new products such as outdoor furniture, planking, signs, benches, bollards and bins. These products are coloured right through so they do not need to be painted, are graffiti-proof, will no split, rot or be eaten by termites, and can last five times longer tha

FAQs

Why is recycling milk and yoghurt containers beneficial for the environment?

Recycling diverts materials from landfill, conserves natural resources, and reduces environmental impact through reprocessing and reuse of packaging materials.

What happens to recycled HDPE milk bottles and yoghurt tubs after collection?

Containers are separated at materials recovery facilities, chopped into flakes, washed to remove residues, melted into pellets, and remoulded into new products like furniture and bins.

How can readers identify what type of plastic a yoghurt tub is made from?

Look for the Plastic Identification Code on the container; HDPE is 2, PP is 5, and PS is 6.

Aug 7, 2026

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