Callum Darch's car boot is full when he heads off on the 420-kilometre trip to see his parents in Perth.
But its contents might come as a surprise: it's loaded up with recycling that he and his partner have stockpiled in the weeks and months prior.
"[Tin] cans and glass and things we can't recycle here," Callum said.
The 25-year-old hangs onto his household rubbish because in the regional WA city of Geraldton where he lives, there's no kerbside recycling.
And while he uses the recycling options that are available — community drop-off points and cash for cans — he reckons driving it all the way to Perth is actually easier.
"It's not a small, insignificant town, and they've got goals to be carbon neutral," Callum said, of the coastal city with a population of about 39,000.
"Isn't this kind of a big thing that's just going under the radar?"
Geraldton resident Callum Darch takes a load of recycling to a community drop-off point. (triple j Hack: Alice Angeloni)
No yellow top bins
In 2020/21, Australia generated about 76 million tonnes of waste, according to the 2022 National Waste Report.
That's equivalent to nearly 3 tonnes per person.
And while the rate of recycling is estimated at 60 per cent, not everyone has that option.
One estimate is that about 20 per cent of councils across Australia don't offer the distinctive, yellow-lidded kerbside recycling bins.
Recycling can be tricky and the rules depend on where you live. (Supplied: City of Sydney)
Aimee Van Der Veer, 25, from the New South Wales Central Coast, was similarly blindsided by the response when she moved to Geraldton and asked her new housemates where the recycling bin was.
"I grew up where there was a yellow bin, a red bin and a green bin," she told triple j hack.
"I felt quite uncomfortable, after my whole life of being taught to do something, just putting my recyclable stuff in with general waste."
A national issue
Broken Hill resident Maz Hoelscher also grew up learning about the importance of recycling, and finds it sad it's not always an easy process for regional communities. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
It's an issue facing regional communities across Australia.
Maz Hoelsher, 23, grew up near Albury-Wodonga, at the border of Victoria and New South Wales, and says she learned a consistent message about recycling and sustainability.
She thought that message would be the same everywhere until she moved to Yulara, near Uluru in the Northern Territory.
She lives in Broken Hill now, where recycling options are also limited.
"I think 50 to 70 per cent [of what I throw away] could be recycled," Maz said.
"I think so many people are surprised what a different world remote Australia is, not only in terms of the cost of groceries and things like that, but also things like recycling and waste options."
Like Geraldton, Broken Hill offers recycling services through the local tip and there is a dedicated service where recyclable cans and bottles can be exchanged for 10 cents each.
Maz acknowledges the costs of recycling should not be placed solely on regional councils and their ratepayers: she wants to see the federal government do more in this space.
"If there's a way the [federal] government can subsidise it more, I think we should be doing it … it should be dealt with nationally," she said.
A costly process
Australians sent about 76 million tonnes of rubbish to landfill in 2020/21. (Pixabay: Pasi Maenpaa)
For regional councils across Australia, cost and contamination are major factors when weighing up whether to offer recycling services to residents and businesses.
Geraldton City Council manager of climate, environment and waste Mike Dufour said there were barriers to offering the service, despite the community's demand for it.
"Upfront capital costs to provide the yellow top bin service and then a facility to process it is not cheap, 7 to 8 million or maybe more to get that thing going," Mr Dufour told triple j hack.
"That's probably about $400 per ratepayer in the Geraldton area.
"[Also], the cost to provide the recycling is offset by the market value of the product, which is currently very low for cardboard and plastics."
Loading...A reduction in consumption
Dr Ben Madden is a waste expert at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney, and says the issue is complex.
He told triple j hack that household waste streams could be complicated and that not all councils have the critical mass to make recycling economically viable.
"A lot of councils just don't have the population, or they are very sprawled-out areas … the costs add up," he said.
He adds that certain products, like cardboard and boxes, can be largely returned to production, but plastic is a different story.
"Fifteen per cent of the plastic packaging in use is recycled, and the rest is landfill."
But he said some changes were on the way.
"There are government mandates likely coming into effect soon mandating minimum recycle content in new packaging, so hopefully that does drive an increase in recycling."
Barriers to being environmentally friendly
Callum Darch says there are other environmental benefits to living in the regions. (triple j Hack: Alice Angeloni)
Back in Geraldton, Callum reckons there are major barriers to recycling before it even reaches the yellow top bin.
"It's already a failed system, because if you've got a bottle that's created with two different types of plastic that's difficult or frustrating to recycle, who's going to do that?" Callum said.
"Already that's a step where you've made it hard to recycle in the first place."
But he said, recycling access aside, there were other environmental upsides to living regionally.
"I can ride my bike to work every day, like, if you lived in Perth, you'd probably commute at least an hour to get to your job every day … so that's maybe a pro."
And Aimee says the experience with the lack of recycling in Geraldton has potentially changed her consumption behaviours for the better.
"I think I've learned to consume less in Geraldton, and I don't know whether that's been me forced because of, you know, not having recycling and wanting to be more intentional."