How does rubbish at the tip make greenhouse gases?
When we dump rubbish at the tip (landfill) polluting greenhouse gases (methane) are released. This happens when food and green waste rots under mountains of other rubbish. This puts more energy into our atmosphere and is starting to affect our climate. For every wheelie bin we fill at school and home there are another 70 wheelie bins full of waste that we never see. It’s already been tossed out before it gets to us. How can we create less waste?
Where does waste come from?
Waste comes from most things we do. The food and drinks we consume. The transport we use and the stuff we buy. Everything has waste as a part of it’s production. Waste is the left over bits that are not a part of the final product we buy. Waste is not counted in the final cost. Many things are much cheaper than they should be when they get to us. Waste also comes in too much packaging of stuff. In nature there is no waste, everything is used and reused by something else.
What waste makes less pollution?
The closer we copy nature the less waste we create. We need stuff that breaks down naturally and can return to nature as a part of the natural cycle. Products that can be easily reused, recycled, up-cycled are also good. They continue to have a second life after their first use. Glass, plastic, paper, metals and cardboard can all be used again. They have second, third, sometimes up to 20 lives as other products. When we throw something ‘away’ there is really no away – everything ends up somewhere.
How can we tell which products are helpful and create less waste?
As you explore how to reduce waste, you will have trouble working out if products are any good. Don’t believe everything you read. One way to ensure that you are creating less waste is to simply buy less new stuff. You can investigate how you manage waste at home and school by asking about where the rubbish goes. Do we recycle everything? What about green and organic waste? Is there anyone out there helping people with good advice?
Is Australia doing a good job at reducing waste?
How can we be less wasteful? Australia used to have a very successful ‘cash for cans and bottles’ recycling scheme. This system still runs in South Australia who are the best recyclers in Australia. For some reason this scheme was stopped for the rest of Australia. It’s trying to be re-started by people who care about these things. Why are they finding it so difficult to get the ‘cash for cans and bottles’ going again? Most things are designed to die. They last for a short time. Then they break or a new model arrives and we want to buy it.
Is this a problem? What would you do to change things?
What can we do?
Can we ignore the increasing amount of waste that we create? The sooner we start the less difficult it will be later. Each of us can take action to be less wasteful. How can we get our school to create less waste? Is your family interested in creating less waste? How can you get other people to listen to you to create less waste?
Your future will be a low waste future. So how do we get people to start now so there is less damage to our natural world?
