Vic Victoria’s recycling crisis

[Kwality]

They are the source

Wow, lets address the problem instead of looking for someone else to blame .... anyone but the individual eh?

 

[its free real estate]

Obviously the solution to this problem is garbage sorting robots.

 

[Kwality]

Obviously the solution to this problem is garbage sorting robots.

How does that ensure there is a market for the claimed recyclable, no market = landfill?

 

[its free real estate]

How does that ensure there is a market for the claimed recyclable, no market = landfill?

There’s a market for anything if the price is right.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

I beg to differ, split bins were every bit as bad as the comingled bin common today, just less room. Its the person loading it & the lack of education as to what is acceptable, not what is recyclable. Acceptable not recyclable, the difference between the two goes to landfill.

Fwiw this feedback wasn't just from Australia, but the USA (where they are facing a massive issue on it thanks to scale)

Npr did a number of good hour long shows on it when the China ban first came in

 

[Kwality]

Fwiw this feedback wasn't just from Australia, but the USA (where they are facing a massive issue on it thanks to scale)

Npr did a number of good hour long shows on it when the China ban first came in

No doubt but I'd suggest it did not come from the MRF, it came from the policy types responsible for the claims about increased participation.

 

[Kwality]

There’s a market for anything if the price is right.

Yep & sometimes that price is the cost of disposal.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

No doubt but I'd suggest it did not come from the MRF, it came from the policy types responsible for the claims about increased participation.

They spoke to multiple sources, exporters who used to sell it to China, and local firms who bought it for initial processing.

As I posted earlier, processors main complaints were cheap oil prices, and the high contamination rates (which is the Chinese argument - although went too far claiming it was a safety risk)

Non segregated waste has resulted in bug increases in food contamination, and that makes the recycled product useless at current prices (it's not worth the cost of separating and cleaning on site)

 

[Kwality]

They spoke to multiple sources, exporters who used to sell it to China, and local firms who bought it for initial processing.

As I posted earlier, processors main complaints were cheap oil prices, and the high contamination rates (which is the Chinese argument - although went too far claiming it was a safety risk)

Non segregated waste has resulted in bug increases in food contamination, and that makes the recycled product useless at current prices (it's not worth the cost of separating and cleaning on site)

I've been there, relating my own experience - lets agree to disagree. We seem to agree on the failure of commingled bins, & I place that fairly & squarely on people recycling things things that cant be recycled by the MRF receiving their waste, recyclable in a wider sense, but down the sorting process then off to landfill.
We've got one of the bigger Melbourne recyclers off line now, how much is being stored around Melbourne, plenty !!

 

[its free real estate]

Yep & sometimes that price is the cost of disposal.

Which is why if you want to recycle you have to be serious about it, not go to the lowest bidder and cream off the top of rates to feather your own nest, like I imagine every single council did.

 

[Kwality]

Which is why if you want to recycle you have to be serious about it, not go to the lowest bidder and cream off the top of rates to feather your own nest, like I imagine every single council did.

Lowest bid 101%+, Council SNAFU, still can not even agree on uniform lid colours.

 

[Kwality]

Read it & weep:
https://www.packaging-gateway.com/news/australia-plastic-packaging-plastic-recycled/
4 March 2019

Australia plastic packaging: two-thirds of plastic waste not recycled
Two-thirds, or over 600,000 tonnes, of Australian plastic packaging waste was not recycled last year, according to a report by the Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF) and the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO).


Screaming out for education of householders who want to do the right thing .... hello to the State Govt sitting on $millions from the waste levy charges at landfill gates.

 

[Hawk Dork]

Build new infrastructure with plastic waste, recycling groups say

Roads, schools and playgrounds could be built from old plastic bottles if the government acts on advice aimed at solving Victoria's recycling crisis.

Leading recycling groups say legislating that discarded plastic waste must be used in all new roads and schools could create a market for household waste that would otherwise go to landfill.


https://www.theage.com.au/national/...ste-recycling-groups-say-20190306-p5122j.html

 

[Kram]

Someone that works out our local tip claimed that the stuff in the recycle bin and the normal one just all ended up in the same pile.

 

[Kwality]

SNAFU at Vics EPA, asleep at the wheel over chemical waste, its supposed to track the stuff thru transport certificates so should know its not being treated its being stored.
Like the recycling they know whats going on but failing to act.

Time to put a broom thru Dan, starting with Minister Lil who is overseeing this ever increasing mess, she is a dud.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/claws-out-over-latest-toxic-melbourne-fire
Premier Daniel Andrews said the government was acting, with ramped-up inspections by the EPA, WorkSafe and fire authorities in recent months.

"I don't think anybody could credibly accuse the government and its agencies of not being out there looking," he told reporters.

"We have been doing an enormous amount of spot auditing and checking to make sure the rules are followed."

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Crisis, what crisis?

We'll just incinerate the lot of it (multiple suspicious fires in the western / northern suburbs)

 

[Pessimistic]

Beggars belief that imported shit is in excessive packaging, which then is shipped back

Excessive packaging designed to provide shelf appeal, but more and more is bought online?

 

[Kwality]

Beggars belief that imported shit is in excessive packaging, which then is shipped back

Excessive packaging designed to provide shelf appeal, but more and more is bought online?

Beggars belief that imported shit is in excessive packaging, which then is shipped back

Excessive packaging designed to provide shelf appeal, but more and more is bought online?

Don't tell anyone ...

 

[Kwality]

https://waste-management-world.com/a/video-documentary-exposing-australias-recycling-lie

&

what are the charlatans with the levers doing, Bayside Council (in Melbourne) want to reduce garbage collection to fortnightly, looking to claim a reduction in garbage when its stuffed into (their) litter bins or illegally disposed of in the commercial & indistrial sector.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

https://waste-management-world.com/a/video-documentary-exposing-australias-recycling-lie

&

what are the charlatans with the levers doing, Bayside Council (in Melbourne) want to reduce garbage collection to fortnightly, looking to claim a reduction in garbage when its stuffed into (their) litter bins or illegally disposed of in the commercial & indistrial sector.

Actually it has been shown people do legitimately reduce waste when they have to work with smaller bins. There is a limit of course, but apparently when we know we have limited waste space available, we adjust our spending choices accordingly.

 

[Kwality]

Actually it has been shown people do legitimately reduce waste when they have to work with smaller bins. There is a limit of course, but apparently when we know we have limited waste space available, we adjust our spending choices accordingly.

Well where does it go, they produce less because it goes somewhere else, ie litter bins & the C&I sector not to mention the recycling stream, the Chinese called it rubbish, it is rubbish.
People need to spend more time at the coalface, not pushing numbers around the desk, theyve got away with that nonsense for far to long.

Happy to acknowledge the Bayside (& others) food waste initiative, but it needs to be monitored (it is) & the receival facility required to report & act on the problems, less of the PR success claims.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Well where does it go, they produce less because it goes somewhere else, ie litter bins & the C&I sector not to mention the recycling stream, the Chinese called it rubbish, it is rubbish.
People need to spend more time at the coalface, not pushing numbers around the desk, theyve got away with that nonsense for far to long.

You repair and reuse more

You eliminate purchasing prepacked fruit, veg, and meat

You buy on high street rather than online

And so on....

Edit - forgot to include food. Buying for what you need for the next few days, rather than a fortnight (and throwing half of it out because it went off)

 

[Kwality]

You repair and reuse more

You eliminate purchasing prepacked fruit, veg, and meat

You buy on high street rather than online

And so on....

Edit - forgot to include food. Buying for what you need for the next few days, rather than a fortnight (and throwing half of it out because it went off)

It'd be great if widely adopted, its easily measured, tonnes into the landfill, but needs interpretation where its abused by those pushing their own barrow. Our recycling stream, household recycling bins are used for rubbish, the Chinese said it, Indonesia now


Indonesian environmentalists accuse Australia of 'smuggling' plastic waste following China ban

Our recycling : Ecoton claims it found plastic waste, including food wrappers, plastic bottles, nappies and other non-recyclable plastics, among the waste paper, some of which was labelled "Made in Australia".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04...smuggling-plastic-waste-to-indonesia/11054592

The source of our problem is what goes into our bins.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

It'd be great if widely adopted, its easily measured, tonnes into the landfill, but needs interpretation where its abused by those pushing their own barrow. Our recycling stream, household recycling bins are used for rubbish, the Chinese said it, Indonesia now

The Oz recycling problem is now in Indonesia:
Indonesian environmentalists accuse Australia of 'smuggling' plastic waste following China ban

Our recycling : Ecoton claims it found plastic waste, including food wrappers, plastic bottles, nappies and other non-recyclable plastics, among the waste paper, some of which was labelled "Made in Australia".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04...smuggling-plastic-waste-to-indonesia/11054592

This is wha

I said weeks ago that you yelled at me about. Shared recycled bins have most of the matter landfilled because of contamination (ignoring current lack of demand issue of course). When you have one for paper, one for plastic, etc, people actually sorted properly and the cross contamination was significantly less

Single bins encourage laziness (like leaving half a pizza in a pizza box

 

[Kwality]

This is I said weeks ago that you yelled at me about. Shared recycled bins have most of the matter landfills because of contamination. When you have one for paper, one for plastic, etc, people actually sorted properly and the cross contamination was significantly less

Single bins encourage laziness (like leaving half a pizza in a pizza box

I think I misunderstood your description of shared, took you to mean the divided bin, sorry. Agree on sorting, its the commingled bins that are the source of the problem, easily misused by people who care in the face of poor instructions by the Councils IMHO.

At this time we should be spending money to educate, be specific about what can be recycled & the rest goes in the rubbish bin.

Good example of mixed messaging is the well meaning City of Yarra & separate bins for glass, is there a market for recycled glass?
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/06/update-australian-recycling-crisis/

• Just last year, the Australian media reported on the stockpile glass industry crisis where hundreds of thousands of tonnes of glass aren’t being recycled. It’s a common misconception that all glass can be recycled yet the recycling industry keeps receiving glass items that they have no method in place to dispose of.