Hey there, fellow eco-conscious folks! Welcome to the first blog in our waste reduction series. Today, we're diving deep into the world of waste and its impact on the environment. Understanding our waste footprint is the first step towards creating a greener and more sustainable future for our planet.
Statistics on Waste Generation
Let's start with some numbers. Australians generated 76 million tonnes of 'core' waste in FY21 (I'll get to this definition in a bit).
Where did it all come from?
18% from households and local government activities,
43% more from commercial & industrial streams, and
38% from construction and demolition.
Let's dive into household waste, something more in our control. The average Australian residential household generates a huge 1.5 tonnes of waste per year:
Food Waste: About 40% of household waste is food waste. This includes leftover food, spoiled produce, and expired items.
Single-Use Plastics: Australians discard millions of tonnes of single-use plastics every year. Items like plastic bags, straws, and disposable cutlery contribute significantly to our waste footprint.
Packaging: Packaging waste, including soft plastics, cardboard, and glass, makes up a large portion of our waste stream.
If we zoom back out to the whole country's waste (not just households) we can get a feel for what Australia's core waste is made up of by sector and by category of waste - check out the chart below from the National Waste Report 2022. What's interesting to me is how much of our national core waste comes from ash in coal-fired electricity generation. It's good to know that as we progress with retiring more coal and introducing renewable energy generation, we'll not only reduce our carbon footprint for the energy sector but its waste footprint too.
The big proportion of building and demolitions materials waste might be jumping out at you however this is at least an area where we recycle around 78% of the waste generated. Concrete, bricks and rubble are recovered from development sites and according to National Waste Report, there are good markets for recycled concrete aggregate for use as road base, aggregates and hardstand areas. Not all areas are suitable for recycling as we will cover in future posts.
‘non-core’ waste
In a segregation I haven't come to the bottom of yet, we call waste from mining, some mineral processing, and agricultural, fisheries and forestry organic residues, 'non-core' waste.
In 2020–21 when Australia generated around 76 million tonnes of core waste, these industries generated 682 million tonnes. Yup, that seems like a lot right? Around 82% of that is waste from mining (a slurry of pulverised rock and water), with the majority of mining waste deposited in tailings dams.
There are all sorts of regulations and requirements in place for mine closure, so I'm not going to delve more into this topic now, but will think about coming back to look at some of the other core and non-core categories in a later post.
Environmental Impact
Now that we know the numbers, let's talk about the impact. Our waste has a considerable carbon footprint, releasing harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It's like driving a car non-stop for thousands of kilometers! The waterway pollution caused by waste also has devastating effects on our environment and wildlife.
Here are some specific figures to consider:
Carbon Equivalent Emissions: The waste generated by an average Australian household emits around 2.5 tonnes of carbon equivalent annually. This is roughly equivalent to the emissions produced by driving a car for more than 10,000 kilometers.
Impact on Waterways: Improper waste disposal, especially plastics, can end up in our oceans and waterways. Each year, approximately 130,000 tonnes of plastic waste enters the Australian marine environment, harming marine life and ecosystems.
Waste targets for Mid Green
Now that we understand the impact, it's time to take action! Our waste is already fairly minimal (I think) we might put our red bin (240L) on the verge every third week or so. So what will our waste reduction targets be?
Say No to Single-Use: Whenever possible, say no to single-use items including those made from recycled materials (cardboard food trays!!!). This is actually going to be quite challenging so will see how well we do.
Waste audit: I want to get a really good handle on exactly what we are buying and throwing out. We made a pretty successful shift to composting our food waste and paper, but what else is going on that I've not been paying much attention to? Certainly the frequency of making / baking kids snacks for lunchboxes has dwindled over winter and there's is probably a lo in the supermarket purchasing that we could think about differently.
Third goal? As I learn a little bit more and take notice of what waste we are creating, I'll see if we can add in a new goal or change for the year.
Let's take action today and leave behind a greener, cleaner world for future generations. Any waste or recycling tips, feel free to hit me up at fi@midgreenfamily.com with your ideas.
References:
National Waste Report 2021, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, United States Environmental Protection Agency.
War on Waste, ABC TV program.
Plastic Pollution in Australia, WWF-Australia.
City of Stirling Recycling and Waste Services.
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