Recycling is an important part of the waste management process, both in Sydney and around the world. It allows us to turn waste materials into reusable resources, extending the lifetime of the original material. In this article, we’re going to take a look at 15 facts about recycling that you need to know.
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Sustainable rubbish removal in Sydney
At Sydney City Rubbish, we’re not new to the world of recycling. In fact, we’ve been removing waste for many years now. Sustainable rubbish removal is always our priority. Therefore, we ensure that all items that can be reused and recycled, are. Thankfully, that is a large volume of the rubbish and junk that we deal with.
We’re able to take all kinds of waste to the right recycling facilities. This includes electronic waste like computers, scrap metal, certain plastics, office furniture, and much more. If you need rubbish removal in Sydney, we’re here to remove your junk. Then, we can assess it and ensure that what can be recycled, is recycled.
Now, we’re going to take a look at some important facts about recycling in Australia, and the world at large.
15 facts about recycling, repurposing, and reusing waste
Glass can be recycled almost indefinitely.
Did you know that glass has no degradation when it is recycled? This means that glass material can be continually recycled without the quality suffering. On the other hand, most plastics can only be recycled an infinite number of times.
We manufacture 359 million tons of plastic every year, but 300 million tons become waste.
This is an enormous problem all over the world. It doesn’t discriminate; every nation produces plastic waste. We all need to do our part to ensure that plastic ends up in the recycling bin, or repurposed and reused.
The average family home uses 6 trees worth of paper each year.
We’re now living in a digital world… but many households and businesses still use plenty of paper. While the trees do grow back eventually, reducing our paper usage will be greatly beneficial for the environment.
8.2 million tons of food waste ends up in landfills around Australia.
That’s an annual figure, and it’s not great! Food waste produces all kinds of gases, including methane. It also attracts rodents and insects. Plenty of that food waste could have been consumed or composted.
Glass bottles can take up to one million years to decompose.
Glass is an incredibly useful material, and is highly recyclable. But if we simply left a glass bottle to decompose, it would take a very long time. Up to one million years in fact! The lower end of the range is 4000 years, so we expect it would fall somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, it’s a very long time…
It takes 60 days for a recycled aluminium can to reappear on the shelf.
From the moment you drop your aluminium can into the recycling bin, it takes about two months for it to complete the recycling process. That means you can expect to see it back on the supermarket shelves in about 60 days.
70% of the toxic chemicals in landfills come from electronics.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is the name given to electronic waste items like computers and phones. These items contain heavy metals and chemicals that leech into the landfill as they gradually break apart. This is just one reason why recycling e-waste is critical.
Australia’s recycling rate has improved by 57% in 15 years.
We now recycle much more than we used to. However, we’re also producing a lot more waste. Therefore, it’s really important that we continue to recycle wherever possible, conserving resources and protecting the environment.
Australia generated 75.8 megatons of waste in 2020/21.
This waste consisted of 14 Mt of household waste, 32.8 Mt from the commercial and industrial sector, and 29 Mt from the construction and demolition industry. A large portion of this waste ended up in landfills around the country.
Construction and demolition waste has grown by 73% in the last 15 years.
Virtually every major urban centre in Australia has experienced a construction boom, as our population grows and the commercial sector requires more space. But this boom comes with plenty of metal, timber, concrete, and plastic waste… plus more.
In Australia, we recycle about 87% of our paper waste.
That makes us a world leader in recycling paper waste. It’s a fantastic figure, though conversely, we still do use a lot of paper at home and in the workplace. The key here is to reduce our paper consumption and remove the waste entirely.
12 million tonnes of ash is produced each year from burning coal.
Our power industry is still heavily reliant on coal. This figure represents a significant portion of all the waste created each year in Australia. It’s yet another reason why green sources of electricity are becoming more and more popular.
Batteries are the most common form of hazardous waste in Australia.
Every Australian household and business use batteries. But only a very small percentage of batteries are actually recycled each year. Once they are dumped in landfills, batteries leak acids and other hazardous chemicals.
There are more than 75 million tonnes of plastic waste in the oceans.
Plastic pollution in our oceans causes devastation all over the world. This is one of the most alarming problems of our time. Thankfully, a number of organisations and governments are taking steps to reduce plastic waste. But we all must do our part.
Aluminium can be recycled infinitely.
This makes it a very dynamic and affordable material, with a wide range of uses. However, while this is indeed the case, plenty of aluminium is still thrown into landfills… where it cannot be recycled, unless recovered later on.
Recycling facts in Australia
These facts highlight the need for us to improve our recycling efforts across the board. When it comes to rubbish removal in Sydney, an expert team will make life so much easier for you or your business. We always prioritise recycling wherever possible.
Click here to get in touch with Sydney City Rubbish today.
Sources:
– https://planetark.org/newsroom/news/how-much-waste-does-australia-generate-and-where-does-it-go/
– https://plasticseurope.org/
– https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/national-waste-reports/2022
– https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-10/coal-ash-has-become-one-of-australias-biggest-waste-problems/10886866#:~:text=Every%20year%20Australian%20coal%2Dfired,of%20ash%20from%20burning%20coal.
– https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/public-registers/documents/Submission%20by%20Ash%20Development%20Association%20of%20Australia%20-%2018.06.20%20-%20PR%20-%20AA1000517%20Boral.pdf
– https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/recycling-global-statistics-facts-plastic-paper/
