Our Problem With Waste

Every week Australians put their bins out on the road, waiting for the rubbish truck to take it away to landfill.Once it’s gone, it’s unlikely to ever be thought of again. This happens week after week, as tonnes and tonnes of waste  come together in landfills.

The amount of waste that heads to landfill is significant and harmful, due to the toxins, leachate and greenhouse gases it creates.

You can use eco friendly products, such as reusable bags to avoid contributing to this waste problem.

Why switch to eco friendly products?

When organic waste is sent to landfill, it ends up breaking down and releasing methane, which contributes to the threat of climate change around the world.

Electronic waste, such as appliances, computers and televisions that are thrown out into landfill, contain toxins like mercury, arsenic and lead. These leach into the soil and groundwater, creating a toxic environment. A similar thing happens with what is called leachate – the liquid that is formed when water filters through waste, breaking down in landfill and becoming highly toxic in the process.

Many people know that rubbish takes a long time to break down. For instance, things made out of plastic, aluminium and steel can take anywhere from a few decades to hundreds of years to break down. Even more worryingly, around the world we’re running out of places to bury and store all our waste.

That’s why, even though you might feel like you’re doing the earth a favour by putting all your rubbish in the bin rather than dropping it as litter, it’s actually important to reduce the amount of trash you generate in the first place.

Do your part to reduce the waste problem by cutting down on the kinds of throwaway products you use and try to put as little in the bin each week as possible for a more sustainable lifestyle.