From the plastic packaging of your favourite biscuit to food scraps and aluminium cans, humans create all types of rubbish. You toss it in the bin or the recycling and you go about your day. Have you ever paused to consider the environmental impact of rubbish disposal? Or, what happens after it’s picked up from the curb?
There are consequences to the amount of rubbish humans produce and how it’s disposed of. It isn’t just a risk to the environment at large, you have to consider the way it harms local wildlife and how rubbish removal contributes to accelerating climate change.
Australia’s Rubbish Problem
According to Clean Up Australia, we use around one million tonnes of single-use plastic annually and three-and-a-half million tonnes of plastics. That’s a lot, and it gets worse because we’re missing out on more than $400 million of economic value by failing to recycle these plastics properly. Most of that ends up in landfill and experts believe around 130,000 tonnes leak into waterways and the marine environment.
We use plastic because it’s durable and convenient and that’s precisely why it presents such a danger to the environment. So, it’s vital to follow through and ensure you recycle it properly. As for those single-use plastics, Australia has been working to eradicate them. You can do your part by recycling recyclables and avoiding single-use plastics if you live in a region where they haven’t been phased out.
Estimates suggest that 100,000 marine animals die as a result of plastic pollution annually, with all seven sea turtle species affected by the problem. Whether they get tangled in plastic or ingest it, it presents a clear danger to our marine life.
The risk isn’t solely to our marine life; it can present land-based dangers, too. Improperly disposed of plastic and other rubbish is an attractive prospect for pests and not only does this increase their population, it can attract larger animals seeking prey that put human safety at risk.
Rubbish also presents a risk to human health. Evidence shows that humans are consuming higher amounts of microplastics and that could be a direct result of improper rubbish disposal leeching into the environment. Soft vegetables like carrots are more prone to microplastic absorption, but even the water we drink presents a risk. We don’t yet know the full health risks that microplastics pose, but experts suspect there’s a link between inflammation, non-communicable diseases, and an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.
How You Can Reduce Waste
You can play your part in several ways. The first is by reducing the amount of waste you produce, whether it’s using up every scrap of food in leftovers or purchasing refillable cleaning products and toiletries. There are plenty of little ways you can make an impact. Beyond your usage, though, you can help reduce the microplastics issue and prevent pollution by disposing of your rubbish properly. It’s the biggest part of fighting back against pollution. You can reduce methane production by disposing of liquid and food wastes properly to prevent them from going to landfills. You can also conserve resources and prevent pollution by composting and recycling wherever possible.
The circular economy is another helpful tool in the fight for the environment. This idea revolves around re-using things as much as you can before you recycle them or toss them in the bin. In doing so, you limit the use of additional resources to produce more products.
These might seem like small things, but if everyone in your neighbourhood was doing it, there would be a much bigger impact. Cheapest Load of Rubbish offers rubbish removal services to help everyone do their part!
Rubbish removal is a global problem and globally, we recycle such a small amount of recyclable plastic waste. It’s directly impacting the environment by posing a risk to wildlife and marine animals, poisoning our soil and waterways, and contributing to human health problems. You might think I’m only one person, but you can still make an impact by reducing your waste footprint. By being proactive about the waste you use and how you dispose of it, you can lead the way in your neighbourhood and get everyone on board to do their part! You can be the ripple in the water that creates a massive wave of support for sustainable waste management.
Cheapest Load of Rubbish Offers Rubbish Removal Near You
Cheapest Load of Rubbish is passionate about the environment, which is why we offer rubbish removal services near you at affordable prices. We’ll come and pick up your rubbish and we’ll haul it away, recycling as much of it as possible. As members of the local community, we’re just as invested in looking after the landscape, wildlife, and air quality as you are. So, we’re committed to collecting, sorting, and disposing of rubbish responsibly.
