Waste diversion refers to the practice of diverting waste materials away from landfills or incinerators towards more environmentally sustainable alternatives such as recycling, composting, or reuse. The primary goal of waste diversion is to minimise the amount of waste sent to landfills or incinerators, thereby reducing environmental pollution, conserving resources, and promoting sustainability.
Waste diversion strategies include recycling programs, where materials such as paper, plastics, glass, and metals are collected, sorted, and processed into new products. Composting is another form of waste diversion, where organic waste such as food scraps and yard trimmings are decomposed into nutrient-rich compost for use in gardening and agriculture. Waste diversion may also involve initiatives such as donation programs for reusable items or materials, waste-to-energy processes, and education campaigns to promote waste reduction and proper disposal practices.
Waste diversion is vitally important for numerous reasons. Waste diversion helps us conserve precious natural resources by recycling materials instead of constantly extracting new ones, something crucial for sustaining our environment in the long run. Waste diversion also reduces the strain on landfills, which not only helps prevent pollution but also preserves land for other purposes. By diverting waste from landfills, we also lower greenhouse gas emissions, as decomposing waste releases methane, a potent contributor to climate change.
In addition, waste diversion and the refurbishment, reuse or recycling of materials saves energy compared to producing new items from scratch, contributing to overall energy efficiency. Economically, it creates jobs in recycling and waste management industries while reducing disposal costs for businesses and municipalities. Ultimately, waste diversion is a key strategy for protecting the environment, conserving resources, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Waste Diversion: What Can Be Kept out of Landfill?
Not all waste can be diverted from landfill, but you may be surprised by how much garbage can have a second life outside of simply producing methane at a rubbish tip. The kinds of waste that can be most readily diverted falls into three broad categories; recyclables, compostables and reusables.
Recyclables
The category of recyclables encompasses any material that is eligible for collection and processing to be used for new products or purposes. Technological advances continue to increase the number of materials that can be recycled, but as it stands, the most commonly recycles materials include:
Other materials, such as work uniforms, printer cartridges, mobile phones and other electronics can also be recycled but require specific recycling processes and bins so can’t be placed with normal recycling.
Compostables
Compostables encompass any biodegradable materials suitable for decomposition and integration back into the soil through composting. This natural process involves the breakdown of organic matter into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner. Factors such as moisture, aeration, and microorganisms like bacteria and fungi facilitate the decomposition of carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials. Separating organic waste from other solid waste during composting yields carbon dioxide rather than methane as it decomposes.
Organic waste eligible for composting includes:
- Food scraps
- Coffee grounds
- Garden waste
- Compostable packaging
Compostable products fall into two categories – home compostable and industrial compost. Home compostable products can go into any home compost bin to break down in a few months. Products that require industrial composting need different temperatures, humidity and airflow to break down and need to be specifically sorted into an industrial composting bin.
Reusables
Reusables are items capable of repeated use, either in their original state or after refurbishment. Rather than sorting into specific bins, reusable items are diverted from landfill by being used again.
Examples of reusable items include:
- Packaging boxes (recyclable once they can no longer be used)
- Shipping and loading materials (from packing peanuts and bubble wrap that can be reused in packing, to wooden pallets that can be broken down to be used as building materials),
- Furniture (can be refurbished, donated or on sold)
- Appliances (can be repaired, donated or on sold)
- Tools (can be repaired, donated or on sold)
Waste Sorting
One of the most fundamental things that needs to happen for effective waste diversion is for waste to be sorted into different categories so it can be sent to the fight facility for processing. This sorting must be done at the time of disposal rather than later along in the process, and it’s vitally important that different bins are available for each category of waste.
In Australia, standardised colours for bins were introduces making sorting waste much more straightforward. The most used bin colours are:
Yellow: Used for co-mingled recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, plastic containers, aluminium cans, and steel/tin cans. The specific items accepted for recycling may vary depending on local recycling programs.
Red: Used for general household waste that cannot be recycled or composted. This includes non-recyclable plastics, soiled paper or cardboard, food scraps, hygiene products, and other non-recyclable or non-compostable items. Items placed in a red bin will be sent to landfill or for incineration.
Green: Dedicated to organic waste, including food scraps, garden waste, grass clippings, leaves, branches, and other biodegradable materials, such as paper cups (so long as they don’t have a plastic film, wooden cutlery and biodegradable food containers. These items are collected for composting or mulching.
Blue: The blue bin specifically for paper and cardboard recycling. This bin is used for clean paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard packaging, and other paper-based materials.
Purple: Used to collect glass waste. Glass recycling programs may use purple bins for the collection of glass bottles and jars. These bins are specifically meant for clean and empty glass containers, typically excluding items such as drinking glasses, ceramics, or broken glass.
Brown: These bins are for organic materials generated from gardening or landscaping activities, such as grass clippings, leaves, branches, twigs, weeds, and other plant trimmings. Brown bins may also accept other biodegradable garden waste, such as bark, and palm fronds.
In addition to the most commonly used colours, there are other coloured bins that can be utilised for specific sorting purposes. These bins may not be standardised across Australia and instead are specific to individual waste management systems or companies. Different bins and colours may be used for specific waste streams such as hazardous waste, e-waste (electronic waste), soft plastics, disposable coffee cups or special collections (e.g., for bulky items or household chemicals).
What Happens if Waste isn’t sorted?
According to Clean Up Australia, Australians generate over 76 million tonnes of waste annually (that’s around 2.95 tonnes each), with only about 37 million tonnes of this waste being recycled.
Not only does proper waste sorting significantly improve recycling rates and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills, it also helps ensure that the recyclable material isn’t contaminated.
When recyclable materials are contaminated, it means that they are mixed with non-recyclable or inappropriate items, such as food waste, liquids, or hazardous materials. Contamination reduces the quality and value of recyclable materials, making them more difficult and costly to process, if not making processing downright impossible.
In Australia, contamination in recycling streams is a significant issue. According to the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), contamination rates in recycling bins can reach up to 30%. Contamination of recyclables can lead to multiple negative outcomes, such as:
Compromised Quality: Contaminants can lower the quality of recycled materials, making them less desirable for manufacturers. This can reduce the market demand for recycled materials and hinder the effectiveness of recycling programs.
Increased Processing Costs: Contaminated materials require extra sorting, cleaning, and processing to remove unwanted items. This increases the costs of recycling and can strain the resources of a recycling facility.
Environmental Impact: Contamination often results in the rejection of entire batches of recycled materials, leading to increased landfilling or incineration of otherwise recyclable materials. This undermines efforts to reduce waste and environmental pollution.
