recycling

8 Mistakes you probably make when recycling

There’s no doubt that the public are beginning to come to terms with the problems caused by our waste. Woolworths and Coles recently banned single use plastic grocery bags, and with China cracking down on imported recyclable rubbish, recycling has become increasingly important for Australia. When recycling is collected, collection companies must limit waste contamination to 0.5% if they wish to export it. Many companies report that the waste they’re collecting has up to 18% contamination so it’s clear that we could be recycling more effectively. Here are 8 common mistakes to think about when disposing of your recycled goods. Not removing food One of the most important things we can do to ensure we are recycling as effectively as possible is to remove any food waste from our recyclables. Generally, the more clean, dry and empty recyclables are, the better. Simply removing food scraps and rinsing out containers will

2021-05-24T11:31:19+10:00January 22nd, 2019|Articles|

Where does all the rubbish go?

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in 2009-10 Australians sent 21.6 million tonnes of waste to landfill. For those of you that aren’t familiar with visualising a tonne, think of small truck load full and then multiply it by 21.6 million! It’s quite a bit of rubbish. Waste management is an ongoing topic in Australian politics, and terms like ‘diversion rate’ and ‘recovery and reprocessing’ are populating the vernacular. That said, the Australian diversion rate, that is the amount of rubbish we diverted from landfill in 2009-10 still sits at under 50%, to be exact 42.6% (ABS, 2011). Rubbish recycling overseas While this is of course an increase on previous figures, it is a far cry from some of our international counterparts. For example, Sweden has been so successful in their recycling efforts that The Huffington Post has reported that only 4% of their rubbish goes into landfill.

2021-05-24T11:31:22+10:00January 8th, 2018|Articles|

How Much Rubbish Goes Into Landfill

Landfills are areas of land or excavated sites which have been carefully designed into or above the ground. When the trash is taken to a landfill, it usually ends up sealed in the ground. Trash decomposition is not much or none existent since there’s no way for air and water to get in. Landfills produce leachate, a type of toxic liquid that is made up of a mixture of rainwater, dissolved chemicals and organic acids. This toxic element can contaminate waterways and surrounding land. It is said that 55 percent of rubbish ends up getting buried in landfills while 33 percent ends up at recycling centers and 12.5 percent are taken to incinerators. When the trash is taken to an incinerator, it undergoes a burning process where it is transformed into ash. The latter is then used to make parking lots or roads. At times, the end product is also

2021-05-24T11:31:23+10:00November 2nd, 2017|Articles|

White Goods Rubbish Removal Sydney

White goods are usually domestic appliances that are large and bulky in size which make them difficult to be transported. Used mostly in doing routine chores, white goods would include air conditioner, clothes dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, stove, microwave oven, freezer and fridge. Electronic goods that are smaller do not qualify as white goods. These include irons, kettles, toasters and vacuum cleaners. White Goods Removal One of the best ways to cut your power bill is by getting rid of a second fridge or freezer which you don’t really need that much. While some would prefer having a personal fridge inside their bedroom for an added convenience, simply sticking with the fridge in the kitchen can have a lot of benefits. It’s also a great way to exert a few extra steps towards the kitchen which should be good for the body. Reuse or Resell Old appliances such as the

2021-05-24T11:31:23+10:00August 26th, 2017|Articles|

How to dispose of car batteries

Sooner or later, your car battery is going to fail, and it’s not as easy as throwing them in your regular rubbish bin at home or dumping them on the side of the curb, in hope someone else with deal with it. Council pickup have a list of items they refuse to take as well which includes paint tins, gas cylinders and old batteries. This is because the chemicals in these items either pose a hazard to workers (explosions etc) or have chemicals that can leech into the water table from landfill and severly pollute the environment. Car Battery disposal nasties The illegal dumping of batteries can cause more harm to our plant and animal habitat than you can imagine. Car batteries are classified as hazardous waste, and comprise of heavy metals and other toxic materials, such as mercury, alkaline, cadium, nickel and lead acid, all of which can pollute

2021-05-24T11:30:52+10:00June 11th, 2014|Articles|
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