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History of waste I Garbage today I What is waste? | Attitudes to waste | Waste generation | How to make a difference | Do you have a recycling question?
To encourage everyone within the City of Ryde to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill the City of Ryde has a variety of waste reduction programs available for schools, community events, workplaces, and residents.
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History of waste
Aborigines produced very little waste. In coastal areas, 18 middens can be found in sand dunes. Middens are the old burial grounds for aboriginal food scraps- old bones, shells and discarded bone and stone tools with the organic waste rotting away naturally over time.
The early European settlers in Australia also produced very little waste. Items were hard to get hold of in the first place and most food scraps were fed to dogs, pigs and chooks or turned into compost.
Garbage was not a major problem in Australia until a few generations ago. People did not produce much garbage and there were plenty of places to dispose of what was produced. In those days there was very little excess packaging, milk, beer and soft drink bottles were washed and refilled. Food scraps were composted or fed to chooks or dogs. Rubbish was also burnt in backyard incinerators, clothes were handed down to brothers and sisters; toys, tools and utensils were repaired rather than thrown away. Any other rubbish was placed into small metal bins, collected by garbage workers, and taken to Council landfill sites (tips).
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Garbage today
Garbage has become a greater problem since the 1970s. People have been consuming more, and hence are throwing away more and more rubbish. This is mainly due to a change in our lifestyles.
Huge supermarkets have replaced small stores and home delivery. The desire for convenience has led to an increase in packaging and the use of non refillable containers. There has been a greater acceptance of disposable products such as tissues, convenience foods and takeaway foods. The cost of household appliances has decreased - it is cheaper to buy a new one rather than fix an old broken one. Fewer people keep chickens and most pets are fed pre-packaged food rather than food scraps.
Australia's population has increased significantly meaning more people to create more rubbish. The urban sprawl of Sydney has left less space to build landfills and consequently waste has to be carted further, increasing transportation and environmental costs. Opposition to landfill sites by communities also makes possible sites scarce with the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) phenomenon.
People object to new landfill sites being built because of concerns about smell, litter, pollution and a reduction in the value of surrounding homes. It is often difficult and expensive for a Council to establish new landfill sites. Councils often take their waste to another Council area, or build transfer stations, transporting waste long distances - increasing the costs to dispose of garbage.
What is waste?
Many people see waste as useless items that they throw away. Does this mean that our landfills and bins are full of useless items? Not so - many of the things we throw away are just carelessly discarded. Materials become waste when we have no more use for them; many things we put into the bin may still have a use.
A decision needs to be made by manufacturers when packaging is being developed to ensure that packaging is made out of recyclable materials. The decision can then be made by the consumers as to whether we reuse, recycle or throw away the item.
We create waste by:
- Overusing or misusing resources in our production process
- Using more than we really need in our daily lives
- Mixing materials together, making them difficult to use again
Attitudes to waste
72% of people surveyed view that the handling of household rubbish has improved since 1994. In addition, half of the people surveyed still feel that improvements are being made in minimising private waste.
Out of the people surveyed, 70% of people have avoided littering, 62% of people have decided to reuse, 47% of people composted, 40% of people avoided excess packaging and 31% avoided the use of plastic bags. 55% of the people aged 35 agree that the risks associated with the use of pesticides have been reduced. Women under 35 are less likely to agree that the risks associated with the use of pesticides have been reduced.
People with tertiary qualifications are less likely than people in other groups to believe there have been improvements in all waste areas including dealing with household rubbish, minimising the amount of waste the community produces, reducing the risks associated with the use of pesticides and transport of dangerous chemicals.
People from non-English speaking backgrounds say the risks associated with the use of pesticides have been reduced and transport of dangerous chemicals has improved.
Waste generation
Waste generation refers to the total amount of waste produced by households, industry business, and the community.
The Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA) accounts for about two thirds of the waste disposed of in NSW. Total waste disposal levels in the SMA increased throughout the 1980's to peak in 1990 at over 4.1 million tonnes. The total waste disposed of then dropped to 24% between 1990 and 1993, due mainly to poor economic conditions and the incomplete reporting of industry waste disposed of at landfills without weighbridges. Disposal levels then rose each year until a new peak of almost 4.5 million tonnes in 2000; declining to 3.9 million tonnes in 2001 and rising again in 2002 to 4.25 million tonnes (Department of the Environment and Conservation, 2004).
Waste generation is increasing due to a number of reasons:
- Economic activity and consumption - people are achieving a higher standard of living. Household consumption is increasing and people are consuming more goods and services
- Material intense lifestyles - goods are getting smaller with less waste, although we are purchasing more of them per household, leading to more natural resources being used and more waste created
- Limited product reuse - products are not made to last long periods of time. A large majority of electrical products are superseded quickly and repairs often cost nearly as much or more than repair
- Limited consumer support for 'waste' friendly products - Waste friendly products are made from environmentally friendly materials, contain minimal or no toxic substances and are refillable or reusable.
How to make a difference
For more ideas view the A - Z of Waste Disposal page. For school and community workshops see our Events and Workshops page.
Do you have a recycling, green waste, garbage, worm farming, composting or other waste related question?
If you have any queries regarding the issues mentioned above, please fill in the online form below.
Council's Waste Education Officer will get back to you regarding these questions.
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