How we Achieve Outcomes for a Better Environment

• Planet Ark is best known internationally for our 'World Environment News', service which is sponsored by Reuters. Read by people in over 50 countries every day, it is one of the worldÕs biggest online environmental news services. Over 8 million people a year visit the Planet Ark site.

• In July 2006, 300,000 volunteers planted over 1.7 million native trees at 3,600 locations around Australia as part of Planet Ark's 'National Tree Day'. We organise this event in partnership with Toyota and AMP Foundation. The event was fronted by Planet Ark supporters Olivia Newton-John, Jamie Durie, Johanna Griggs and many other well-known celebrities, all of whom donated their time to the event.

• Tree Day is comprised of Schools Tree Day and National Tree Day, which take place on the last Friday and Sunday of July respectively each year. Since the inception of Tree Day eleven years ago, 1.6 million volunteers have planted over 10.5 million native trees, shrubs and grasses at more than 20,000 sites nationwide.

• Research shows that 48% of Australians are confused about what they can and cannot recycle. To solve this problem, Planet Ark collaborated with Sensis and the Australian Government to relaunch the RecyclingNearYou website, and launch the National Recycling Hotline in November 2006. Together, these form a one-stop-recycling-information-shop!

• The new RecyclingNearYou.com.au website and hotline include the details for recycling and safe waste disposal in 672 council areas around Australia. Users are able to search for local information by entering their postcode, suburb or local council area. Those without Internet access can access the same information by calling the National Recycling Hotline: 1300 733 712.

• Over 550 million greeting cards have been recycled via the 'Cards 4 Planet Ark' greeting card recycling campaign. Each year, Australia Post give away one million 'Cards 4 Planet Ark' recycling envelopes that people can fill with cards and post free at any post box. They can also drop them off in our special recycling bins at Coles Supermarkets.

• An estimated 18 million printer cartridges are used by Australians each year, creating 5000 tonnes of waste. That's why Planet Ark joined with printer manufacturers to set up the innovative 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' program, to facilitate the recycling of every type of cartridge used in printers, photocopiers and fax machines and to keep them out of landfill. This world first printer cartridge recycling program is the only one that guarantees zero waste to landfill from the recycling process.

• Since the campaign's inception in 2003, over 3.5 million printer cartridges have been diverted from landfill sites around Australia through 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark'.

• The cartridges are sent to our recycling partner Close the Loop®, an all-Australian, high tech resource recovery facility. Close the Loop®, now recycle printer cartridge e-waste to create eWood® - an environmentally favourable wood substitute.

• Each November Planet Ark runs 'National Recycling Week'. At this time Planet Ark releases Australia's annual recycling figures and the latest research on the public's recycling attitudes. Planet Ark also joins with hundreds of councils around Australia to promote recycling and waste reduction on a local basis.

• One of our most successful campaigns has been the national 'Plastic Bag Reduction' campaign. Thanks to a joint campaign with the Sunday Telegraph that has been lauded by David Suzuki, this has led to an agreement between governments and retailers to reduce the use of plastic bags. Around 5 billion plastic check-out bags are still currently used by Australians every year, however since this campaign began in 2002, more than 10 million reusable bags have been sold.

• Australians currently recycle over 2 billion aluminium cans each year. This is a great effort, however 900 million aluminium cans are still thrown away in Australia annually. Six-time world champion surfer and 2004 World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year Layne Beachley fronted the 'Aluminium Can Recycling and Anti Litter Campaign' in the summers of 2004/2005 and 2005/2006, and will again help in 2006/2007. She has helped teach Australians know how important it is to recycle aluminium cans.

• Our rivers are a valuable resource. To protect them, we sell 'Planet Ark' and 'Aware' environmentally friendly laundry powder through leading supermarkets. Millions of packs have been sold since we began this campaign, helping our rivers and funding our education campaigns at the same time.

• Our Do Something education video was made available for free rental from over 450 Video Ezy stores nationwide in 2000. Some of AustraliaÕs top comedians volunteered to help show people fun ways on how to save money and help the environment.

• The Do Something education kit has been used in thousands of primary schools Australia-wide. A sample of the kit is available for free downloading online from www.planetark.com/dosomething

• In partnership with the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, Planet Ark ran the 'Phones 4 Planet Ark' campaign in 2002 and 2003. This launched mobile phone recycling nationally in Australia. Together we recycled hundreds of thousands of mobile phones and batteries, melting them down and turning them into new products.

• For many years Planet Ark ran the National Milk Carton Recycling Campaign in partnership with the milk carton industry. During the campaign, hundreds of millions of used milk cartons were recycled into office paper and other paper-based materials.

• Planet Ark's four-year National Steel Can Recycling Campaign was run in partnership with the steel can industry. Over the duration of the campaign, the steel can recycling rate rose from 28% to 41%. Australians now recycle around 60,000 tonnes of steel cans a year.