Recycling becomes a problem

Most of us didn’t know that the recycling that we collect and put out in our bins each week has been sent to China, indeed sold to China. Thirty million metric tonnes of waste have been going to China each year – not all from Australia, but many thousands of tonnes from here. Suddenly that is ceasing in order to protect the environment and the health of people there. Recycling companies here will be left with mountains of materials and nowhere to put it. This is indeed a dilemma. It will also mean $523 million dollars less in export sales.Will households be left to find their own solutions? Will garbage tips dispose of recyclable items in landfill? Will new businesses open up to use the glass, plastics, paper, metal and electronic items?

Reducing the use of plastic in our everyday lives is vital for a sustainable environment and should not be delayed any longer. There are many worrying aspects in our environment at present.

• A report on the Great Barrier Reef has recorded that the high temperature of the water last year has had a severe effect on the reef from which it may never recover.
• Microbeads are entering our food, the ocean and the environment at an alarming rate. Scientists are certain that these beads are bad for us.
• The climate has already changed and will change more. This has had a severe effect on crops and animals.
• Renewable energy is not being embraced by communities or by governments.
• Outdated technology, such as coal fired power plants, should be closed and replaced with renewable energy plants.
• Water is so vital to all communities that taking risks by fracking for gas supplies, is not worth the brief sale benefts.

These are all important issues, but I'll get back to recycling. Because of China’s withdrawal our domestic market is flooded with waste and the price has fallen so that many companies are no longer viable. All the paper, cardboard, glass and plastic that we discard as waste is actually valuable material that can be reused. In fact 95% of what we put in our bins can be recycled.

What can we as individuals do to help the recycling industries?

• The first step we can take is to make sure we put the correct items in our recycling bins. Rigid plastic containers, paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, steel cans, aluminium cans and aluminium foil are among items that can be recycled. Remove the lids from bottles.
• Never leave recyclables in plastic bags as the machines that sort the rubbish can’t open the bags.
• Encourage our local tips to improve the systems they have.
• Be prepared to pay more to our local councils so that in the long run our recycling industries will flourish not close down.
• Pressure the Federal government to take more responsibility for recycling instead of leaving it all to local and state governments.
• Pressure the Federal government to help establish renewable energy businesses.
• Teach our children about the positives of recycling and get them thinking how to help recycling.
• Protest about the amount of packaging put on absolutely everything and demand a stop to it.

We can’t go back to the times before recycling so I hope that our rubbish problems will be solved with a benefit to all.

Tags: climate, education, environment