The practice of recycling is still widely disregarded, as the emerging consumerist society is focused on buying but not dealing with the trash that comes up as packaging, for example. People are either confused about what to recycle or don’t have proper access to recycling, but many more factors contribute to this behavior. 

The recycling commotion also happens in Australia, where only 18% of plastic ends up where it belongs. Experts believe the country will not meet its national target of recycling 70% of plastic packaging by 2025. At the same time, they’ve recently warned communities in the online media that the government fails to investigate companies and penalize those unable to respect the law. 

The self-regulation approach seems inefficient, so the country needs more realistic targets and stronger reinforcements. 

But above all these elements, Australia needs education. Many citizens don’t know where to dispose of some trash categories, which leads to hazards. Here’s why.

Research indicates people struggle to recycle

A few years ago, the Cleanaway Recycling Behaviors Report showed how people would recycle pizza boxes with greasy stains or didn’t know they had to rinse containers before recycling them. A more recent survey done by YouGov addressed the problem of recycling and correctly disposing of unusual items, such as lifeless animals. 

Unfortunately, incorrectly disposing of them exposes animals and humans to several health risks, especially if the animal has been infected with botulism or anthrax. Livestock carcasses can pollute water supplies and trigger an animal disease outbreak. 

Another concerning fact is that people are unknowingly littering vapes and e-cigarettes whole instead of removing the battery. When left intact in regular bins, lithium batteries can cause trucks and waste facilities to catch fire. 

How should the government respond? 

Australia is a massive country, so imposing an appropriate and sustained recycling system can be challenging. As a company that wants to use balers or compactors for recycling, you could try renting a machine first instead to see if it’s the right fit for your business. However, the country’s waste condition is worrying, so governments and local councils must work together to invest more in the country’s waste and recycling infrastructure. 

Australia’s Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) aims to establish a circular economy, but despite considerable investment within facilities, plastic production cannot be overthrown by the recycling rate. At the same time, companies continuing to use unrecyclable and unsustainable packaging contribute to the massive amount of waste in the country, which is about 75.8 million tonnes. 

Poor recycling impacts climate change 

Unfortunately, regardless of how much waste is exported, the waste inside the country is considerably fastening climate change as the land and sea temperatures increase. At the same time, the weather is more bizarre than ever, with rainfall patterns and fire risks causing wildlife disruptions. 

Experts foresee a worrying future for Australia. Citizens will experience many hot days throughout the year, leading to drought. Therefore, snow depths will decline, and sea levels will rise. At the same time, extreme rainfall events will be frequent, especially across northern regions. 

Even if we could all make an effort to stop climate change, it’s too late now. However, what we can do instead is slow down the rate at which the planet will become inhabitable for humans and animals, which is expected to happen 1.3 billion years from now. 

Although this could have happened much later due to the sun’s natural evolution, the human population will surely fasten this event by human-made climate change. 

Are Australians concerned with climate change?

Seeing how visibly the weather changes, citizens are afraid of how climate change could impact nature and their lives. According to the Australia Institute’s annual Climate of the Nation, over 70% of Australians are distressed about the matter, while others are nervous about the supply chain systems. 

People are primarily afraid of droughts and flooding, bushfires and the extinction of animals and plants. Currently, over 2,212 species might become extinct in the future due to climate change ―fish populations decline due to ocean acidification, and deforestation deteriorates almost half of Australia’s land. 

At the same time, people would also consider fossil fuel companies liable to pay for climate impacts, whether we think about taxes or the costs of handling climate change and introducing sustainable measures and products. 

The government’s lack of initiative is worrying

Human interventions are among the main factors affecting climate change in Australia. Expert foundations and organizations found that there aren’t many evaluations of land-clearing projects, and they’re usually approved too easily. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is pretty inefficient in imposing the law, and the government continues to approve fossil fuel projects that lead to massive deforestation. 

At the same time, the government knows too little about the country’s communities, so there’s no chance of properly educating them in accordance with their behaviors and interests. Therefore, the effectiveness of superficial community programs is low since there’s no genuine engagement with people. 

Where to look for inspiration 

While Australia should come up with ideas and strategies that fit the country’s features, the government can seek inspiration from countries that recycle in the right way. Sweden, for example, leverages non-recyclable waste to produce power for thousands of households. 

Japan’s population developed a laudable system of recycling habits in which each house owner is held accountable for waste segregation as they always comply with regulations. Switzerland made recycling free, while non-recyclable waste costs money, making people recycle every glass bottle or aluminum can. In South Korea, food waste is handled in a way that makes people pay for the food they throw out. In less than two years, food waste was cut enormously. 

What do you think about recycling?

In Australia, the state of recycling products is significantly worrying, as many people are not aware of their responsibility to dispose of all kinds of items correctly. As more products are created, such as vapes, further confusion is created as to where they should be thrown out, so they end up in landfills. The general lack of knowledge and the government’s underestimation of the matter led to a decline in the environment’s quality and more animal and plant species going extinct.

Published By: Aize Perez