The Southern Article: What a Waste!

When we buy just a chocolate bar and Coke from the corner store, why do we need to carry it in a plastic bag? When our phone breaks, why do we simply buy a new one rather than fix the old? Why do we expect our rubbish bins to be emptied day after day but refuse to be aware of landfill?

Australians need to wake up. No matter how careful we think we are being, there are ecosystems choking with rubbish and landfills at bursting point. It has been a slow and steady change, but each and every one of us is subconsciously throwing away more waste now than in the past.

If we can’t see the immediate problem, we tend not to think twice about the issue. But the fact is our rubbish piles are growing and we should be thinking about solutions before they explode back in our faces. Some local governments in Queensland only have enough landfill capacity to last the next couple of years and have no spare land for spill over.

Although we don’t like to see them or smell them, the fact of the matter is we rely on rubbish tips to dump all our unwanted bits and pieces. The more rubbish we produce, the more pressure we put on our beautiful forests and scrubs for available land – and since reducing waste can be such a simple matter, it would be a shame to see more large-scale degradation for a communal rubbish bin.

Queenslanders now have the opportunity to read up about the future of waste in their state and voice their opinions. The Department of Environment and Resource Management has released Queensland’s Waste Strategy for 2010 to 2020 and are encouraging people to take a look and provide feedback.

The increase of waste to increase of population is not exponential; our leftovers are amplifying and the Waste Strategy takes an in-depth look into the reasons why. If we are aware of them, we can do our best to reduce our waste impact.

Increased disposable income

There is a clear link between economic growth and waste generation. In 2008, retail turnover in Queensland grew by around 21 per cent while waste generation increased by 40 per cent.

Convenience-led lifestyle

People are spending more time at work and busier, faster-paced lifestyles mean less free time. This contributes greatly to the wider demand for more convenience and speed, increasing demand for ready-made meals, packaged snack-sized portions and a vast array of disposable items to make out lives easier.

Fashion trends

Today’s society is more fashion conscious than ever, and with many goods previously considered as ‘luxury’ items now available at low cost, the trend is towards replacing items when they go out of fashion, or when the next model becomes available. As a percentage of income Australia is one of the top countries in the world in terms of spending on items such as mobile phones and computers. On average, mobile phone users change handset every one-and-a-half to two years.

Changing attitudes

There is no longer an attitude of ’make do and mend’; people would rather buy a new item than repair an old one.

Design for obsolescence

Many products are not designed to be repaired and as a consequence when they reach the end of their life they can only be disposed of.

Unsustainable consumption

Consumption is a fact of our modern way of life. However, our current consumption patterns are unsustainable. For instance, in 2009, the Australia Institute undertook a survey of wasteful consumption and found that Australians waste around $10 billion per year in things they buy and then discard. Over half of this was household food waste. Queenslanders performed the worst in relation to food waste—wasting around $262 per person per year on discarded food.

Taken from the Waste and Resource Management Hierachy 2010-2020

What Can You Do?

It is difficult to change a way of life, but with communities and environments slowly drowning in waste, individuals and businesses need to step up. Not only do we need to put pressure on companies, we need to set the example ourselves. The proposed Waste and resource management hierarchy from the Queensland Waste Strategy for 2010 to 2020 goes into more depth than the rather obsolete “reuse, reduce, recycle” slogan. The first step here is to avoid using more, so you throw away less.

Waste and resource management hierarchy 2010 - 2020

Have your say!

Reading over the Waste Strategy comes highly recommended as decisions made will affect your community. Click here to read it! Submissions on the draft strategy, are open until Friday 16 July 2010. Submissions can be sent by email to waste.paper@derm.qld.gov.au Submissions must be received by the closing date and include: