What To Do About Australia's Recycling Problem - Today's Biggest News

Australia's government recently announced it wants to start sorting and processing all of our recycling waste right here in Australia. At the moment, most of it is being shipped to other countries and a lot of it is ending up in landfill. But that's something many people are unhappy about, including one school kid in South Australia. So, she's demanded answers straight from our Prime Minister. Lots of Aussies probably don't realise that once it's picked up, a lot of our recycling is shipped overseas to be sorted and turned into something that can be sold over there. But recently some of the countries we were selling our waste to have said they don't want it anymore. Either because it's too dirty and gross, or because it's too expensive to sort out, and apparently heaps of our recycling is now ending up in landfill! Ashlee: We do a lot of recycling at school and now I'm learning that a lot of it goes to landfill. Are people wasting time recycling? Prime Minister Scott Morrison: I think that there's a bit of a promise being broken. See when you put that little plastic bottle in the bin, well you think it's going to be recycled and just about 12% of all plastics are recycled all around Australia in total so that's not good enough, we've got to fix that. Ashlee: Could you do more to encourage big businesses to create less waste in the first place? Prime Minister Scott Morrison: Yes, and I think we can all do that. Part of that is what we expect when we go to the shops and what we buy and the things we use, whether we use reusable cups or all these sorts of things. That's what at the end of the day, changes what big business do, what you decide to do. I think kids can be optimistic that over your lifetime and even in a short period of time you'll see a lot of things change and you'll drive a lot of that change because people want to do it for you. SUGAR LABELS How much added sugar do you think a 600mL bottle of soft drink contains? Well, finding that answer could soon be a lot easier. It's sixteen teaspoons by the way. Health ministers from around the country have asked for a review into making added sugars a compulsory part of food labelling, so people have a better idea of what they're buying. GLACIER Two kayakers in Alaska have had a lucky escape. They got a little too close while filming a glacial bridge. Check out the footage! HYENAS Now, if you think of hyenas, the Lion King might come to mind. If it does, you might not be the biggest fan of them. They did try to eat Simba! But fact is a little different from fiction. So, we sent Liv to Monarto zoo in South Australia to see why hyenas are actually kind of lovable. They're quick, can chomp up a bone pretty fast and they're definitely not camera shy. These African animals are super interesting! For example, did you know that hyenas live in really big families called clans and the ladies are in charge? Here's another interesting fact: hyenas aren't dogs or cats. Their closest relative is the mongoose. Jon says a lot of visitors are really surprised when they see how different hyenas are to the ones in the Lion King. Well, turns out you probably shouldn't believe everything you see in the movies. OUT IN THE ELEMENTS Finally, we're combining the powers of fire, ice and sand to create a segment like no other. It's Out in the Elements! PLATYPUS SNOW While platypuses aren't usually known for their skiing abilities, this one seemed to be ploughing its way through the snow pretty confidently! It interrupted some actual skiers in Tasmania before scooting off - presumably in the direction of less frozen water. FIREWORKS This is the International Fireworks Festival in Moscow! Where eight countries battle it out to create the most dazzling display - timed to some appropriately dramatic music. The host, Russia, took out first prize. SAND SCULPTURES This gigantic sand sculpture stretches more than 17 metres, and it took ten days to make. Two thousand tonnes of sand were brought in to create a bunch of sand sculptures in Israel for an international festival. The theme was fairytales! Magical. -- We have over 1000 stories on all sorts of topics - everything from politics & volcanoes, to online security & fortnite. If you're looking for help to understand something, you'll probably find it on BTN. Make sure to like & subscribe our videos if you want to stay in the know! http://www.abc.net.au/btn/ Follow us on Social Media: Facebook:   / abcbtn   Instagram:   / behindthenews   Twitter:   / behindthenews