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Category Archives: Waste Management

Helpful Tips for Managing Household Waste

The following article was kindly written and contributed by Briana Jones. Waste management and waste reduction are pressing issues around the world. With the global population predicted to balloon to 9.7 billion by 2050, it’s imperative that we find ways to minimise waste and manage it properly. If we don’t, we’ll soon be living in a world with more waste than available resources. Thankfully, there are many ways that individuals and families can contribute to the worthwhile cause of managing and minimising waste. Here are some simple, helpful tips to help manage waste in your Australian home. Avoid Plastics Plastic …

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Why More People Should Care About Proper Waste Disposal

Most of us regard the topic of waste disposal as important but rather boring, and we often have an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude towards it. While we Australians are generally strict about sorting our rubbish compared to most countries, we now have a full-blown waste disposal crisis on our hands. The reasons for it are quite complex and real policy changes will have to be done to solve it. In the meantime, we can further reduce the impact of the crisis by being more dutiful in our rubbish segregation and collection. Here are just a few reasons to …

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Here’s What Happens to Our Plastic Recycling When it Goes Offshore

Last year many Australians were surprised to learn that around half of our plastic waste collected for recycling is exported, and up to 70% was going to China. So much of the world’s plastic was being sent to China that China imposed strict conditions on further imports. The decision sent ripples around the globe, leaving most advanced economies struggling to manage vast quantities of mixed plastics and mixed paper. By July 2018, which is when the most recent data was available, plastic waste exports from Australia to China and Hong Kong reduced by 90%. Since then Southeast Asia has become the new destination for Australia’s …

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Q&A With LUSH Cosmetics Australia and New Zealand

At the Association for Sustainability in Business, it’s our mission to connect and collaborate with businesses and individuals passionate about sustainable business practices. LUSH Cosmetics is one of the leaders in the health and beauty industry dedicated to minimising waste and focusing on the power of local buying. We spoke with Elisia Gray, Buyer at LUSH Cosmetics Australia and New Zealand about LUSH’s sustainable business practices, the sLush fund and what makes LUSH a little different. Q. What are some of LUSH’s green initiatives? A. Sustainability is at the core of what we do at LUSH. In 2007 we created Charity Pot Hand …

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Q&A With Project Seabin Co-Founder Pete Ceglinski

After seeing one too many pieces of plastic in the ocean, two avid surfers decided to do something about it, creating a “Seabin” that would collect trash, oil, fuel and detergents from the water. We had the opportunity to chat with co founder and CEO Pete Ceglinski about the Seabin Project and the ultimate goal of pollution free oceans for future generations. Q: How did the idea for Seabin Project come about? A: It came about from being sick of seeing floating debris in the water of marinas around the world. We needed a practical solution that was based upstream so we could catch …

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Reduce and Recycle Your Corporate Waste with These 4 Easy-to-Execute Methods

As the economies progress, global carbon emission levels are off the charts and are only expected to rise as time passes! These ever-changing emission rates should be a cause of concern for both individuals and organisations as they can have massive environmental ramifications. To bring about the desired effect, companies and businesses will have to come together and find solutions that can contribute towards reducing corporate waste and really make an impact! For those of you looking to start a recovery and recycling drive at your workplace, here are 4 simple, easy-to-implement methods you can follow: 4. Optimize Your Planning …

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Yellow Fridges Are A Great Anti-Waste Solution!

The start-up collects any meals not served in company canteens and gives them away. A clever solution that helps tackle food waste. Canteens waste a lot of food. According to ADEME (the French agency for the environment and energy management), collective catering is responsible for wasting 540,000 tonnes of food every year in France – that’s more than 1 million meals lost! Recovering food waste To fight this particular source of food waste, the “yellow fridge” (lefrigojaune) start-up set up in 2016 by Laurence Kerjean, found a very clever solution. A yellow fridge for the meals not eaten at lunch, which employees can then …

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We Have a Collective Responsibility to Halve Food Loss and Waste

Despite the central role food plays in all of our lives, we let a great deal of it go to waste. About one-third of all food produced in the world goes uneaten each year—a fact that harms our climate, costs the global economy billions of dollars and strains natural resources like water and land. Given the enormous impacts, it’s clear why the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals issued Target 12.3’s call to halve food waste and reduce food losses by 2030. But with 13 short years to go, is the world doing enough? According to a new report from Champions 12.3, the …

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Germ-Zapping Plant Tackles Antarctic Waste

The Australian Antarctic Division has unveiled a wastewater cleaning plant that will help lessen the environmental impact of remote researchers. A million dollar germ-zapping machine will purify the wastewater of Australian researchers in Antarctica. Built in two shipping containers, the technology was unveiled in Hobart on Tuesday following a two-year trial. It will set sail this summer on icebreaker Aurora Australis en route to Davis research station. “Once installed, this will be the best treatment system in Antarctica,” Australian Antarctic Division engineer Michael Packer said. The plant puts kitchen and human wastewater through a process of ozone and ultraviolet disinfection, …

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Hobart City Council To Phase Out Plastic Takeaway Food Containers

Plastic food containers and utensils used by takeaway stores are set to be phased out by the Hobart City Council in what it is calling a nation-leading move. The council voted 10-12 to amend draft environmental health bylaws, banning single use, petroleum-based plastic containers and utensils by 2020. The architect of the change, Greens Alderman Bill Harvey, said they would be replaced by compostable items. He said the proposal had attracted broad public support. “People are aware now; so many Australians watched War on Waste on the ABC and that’s influenced their understanding of plastic pollution, so this is something …

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