One of the most important issues being tackled by most governments in the world today is the amount of trash generated by cities every day. In Australia alone, we generate around 2,100 kilogrammes of trash per person, per annum, as of 2007. That amount is no joke, especially since the space we have for waste disposal is fairly limited.
This is why recycling is such an important aspect of waste reduction and management. This is just one of the ways we can reduce our carbon footprint on the planet, and it’s also a great way of reusing materials that can be reutilised. This is one of the reasons why here at Ezy Skips, we participate with the local government’s recycling efforts—we want to keep our city clean and eco-friendly for generations to come!
With this in mind, here are some of the basic things you need to know about recycling in Melbourne. Note that you may need to get in touch with city officials to know more about some of our recycling efforts. But we hope that this will help you better understand the need for managing our waste, and how exactly we can do that.
Why Recycle?
As mentioned earlier: recycling is just one of the ways we can reduce our carbon footprint in the world today. By reducing the amount of trash we bring to our landfills, we are simultaneously doing three things. Firstly, we are ensuring that we need less space for the trash we produce. That’s a fairly important thing, since we don’t want our trash disposal facilities to be bigger than our living spaces.
Secondly, we’re ensuring that the environment is protected. Recycling your waste ensures that there is less pollution out in the wild—plastics take forever to decompose, and the process alone can leach harmful chemicals into the soil and water. These can contaminate the food we eat, and the water we drink.
Thirdly, we’re ensuring that there’s more of the planet for our children to enjoy. Think of a clean environment as your memento to your kids.
What Do We Recycle?
Depending on who you ask, virtually anything is recyclable. But as a rule of thumb, some things are easier to recycle than others. However, the government’s recycling efforts focus on composting organic material into compost that can be used for improving our agriculture. We also have facilities that handle materials that may otherwise be hazardous to the health of the community at large.
Organic waste is one of the most widely recycled materials in the city of Melbourne. That’s because it can be fairly easy to manage. Recycling green waste is just a matter of ensuring that the decomposition process is properly monitored, and that the collection process guidelines are properly followed.
At the other end of the spectrum, hazardous waste facilities exist not so much as to repurpose them, but more to reduce the waste’s exposure to people. By placing them in a centre that’s built to properly take them apart, we can reuse the parts that are safe for reuse, and dispose of the parts that are too toxic to be used.
A good example of this are the facilities that handle electronics like old mobile phones and computers. Most of the materials in these machines can be repurposed. However, there are components of this technology that are toxic, and should only be handled with proper care.
What Cannot Be Recycled?
Not everything can be recycled, however. Some of the items that can’t be repurposed are mostly waste materials coming from commercial and heavy industrial buildings. Bricks, soil, and concrete blocks are just some of these unrecyclable items, and have to be brought to landfills.
You can choose to dispose of these materials via your regular neighborhood waste pickup service. Alternately, you can personally deliver them to your nearest landfill. There are also tipping services, but these can be expensive.
The Importance of Waste Segregation
One of the most important factors affecting the success of recycling efforts is waste segregation at the individual level. By ensuring that our trash is properly segregated into the different types—biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and hazardous waste—we can help our community leaders in ensuring that we are able to recycle the items that can be recycled.
If you don’t know how to identify the kind of waste you produce, the city government website can assist you in understanding how to classify each article of rubbish. We can also help you figure out how to properly segregate and store your trash, so that we can ensure a cleaner, better future for our city.
References:
http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/tips.htm
http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/council/MelbourneVIC
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/waste-recycling/Pages/waste-recycling.aspx