In our urban settings, here in Australia and around the globe, smart waste management has never been more important to our environments and way of living. We cannot go on living unconsciously and without reference to the impact we all make upon our cities, towns and streets. Social responsibility must be highlighted by councils and governments at all levels. Private enterprise must, also, take responsibility for the cost of waste management within their spheres. Individuals and families must understand that they are responsible for the footprint they leave behind via their actions and lifestyles. Smart waste management in the 21C is urgently required if we are to maintain our high standards of living in this country.
Smart Waste Management & Recycling
We have all been served with a wake-up call, when China rejected our recyclables and criticised the amount of contaminated waste in what we have been exporting over to them. Their recycling ban has put a stop to the 619 000 tonnes of recycling waste we were sending to China. Our recycling efforts were woeful when you consider this outcome. We stuffed it up and did not process the recyclables properly. The education and programs presented to the Australian public were inadequate and a failure. A rapidly worsening situation for our landfill looks the likely outcome in the short term.
We Have Not Been Smart About Waste & Recycling in Australia
There has been a laisse faire attitude about waste management in Australia for far too long. Businesses and governments have not wanted to pay the real costs involved in environmentally responsible waste management. Now, we must pay the ferry man. Waste companies are now stockpiling recycling waste material in the hope of a better outcome down the track. Could we soon see kerbside recycling as a thing of the past? All the good work and feelings of social responsibility have been an illusion in many ways.
We Need to Get Real About Smart Waste Management
We need to get real about smart waste management in the 21C and getting real about recycling is a major part of that. It is time to see some serious investments in waste management solutions in this country. Scandinavian countries are generating energy from waste. We should move to reprocessing recyclables onshore and we should do that with alacrity, before landfill becomes a toxic sore point. On a consumer level we all need to recycle better and understand what contamination is within that process.