5
Dec, 2022
waste

Top 3 Things To Know About Waste

Every day in the United States alone, 268 million tons of waste are buried. How can we, individually, rectify this situation? It is important to know that the waste that pollutes the least is the one that we do not produce. We are always ready to explore opportunities for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Changing the way we do things to better protect our planet is not that difficult. Are you recycling as much as you can? So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the things everyone ought to know about waste.

What is waste?

recycling

Existing in several forms, the waste designates globally all that we do not use anymore and wish to get rid of. It is food scraps that we throw in the trash, bottles, and packaging that we put in special containers. We take bigger objects, old damaged furniture, mattresses, and broken bicycles, to the waste disposal center. But it is also materials, products, and residues linked to companies, agriculture, and various industries.

We produce an average of 350 kg per inhabitant per year, a figure that is close to 14 tons per year if we take into account the entire French population and all professional sectors. They are then landfilled or incinerated, depending on their nature or their hazardous nature, but are also increasingly recycled to limit the environmental pollution they cause. Responsible management of waste is one of the major thrusts of the ecological transition.

Statistic

As a result, the mass of waste is growing faster than any other source of environmental pollution, including greenhouse gases. Each year, the world is faced with 2.1 billion tons of solid waste, 33% of which is not managed environmentally sound. And the figure is expected to increase by 70% to 3.4 billion tons by 2050.

From an economic point of view, we note that high-income countries account for only 16% of the world’s population but produce almost a third of the world’s total waste. East Asia and the Pacific are the worst performers, but each inhabitant still produces an average of 590 kg of waste per year in France. And the production continues to grow by about 1% each year.

In low-income countries, only 48% of garbage is collected in cities and 26% in rural areas. Much of the waste is simply burned on-site or left in the open, leading to respiratory infections and other diseases. High-income countries, of course, have much better collection and management systems, but they are inadequate. For years, thousands of containers full of waste to be recycled have left Europe and the United States for Southeast Asia, where treatment is much cheaper.

Until recently, France itself sent 50% of its sorted plastic waste to China. Things are still going on today, but Beijing, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, have tightened their import conditions so that they are no longer the dustbins of Western countries. As a result, there is no more garbage to manage on our territory, and recyclable waste is simply burned or dumped due to a lack of adapted equipment.

In spite of this, countries continue to develop and often forget to equip themselves with essential systems to face the progression of waste and its evolution. For this reason, middle-income countries should be closely monitored, as they are expected to experience the largest increase in waste in the coming years. It is expected to triple in sub-Saharan Africa and double in South Asia by 2050.

Environmental impact

sustainable

With, of course, disastrous consequences on the whole biodiversity. As a reminder, a simple tissue thrown in nature takes about 3 months to degrade, while chewing gum takes an average of 5 years. Other wastes, such as batteries, contain highly toxic products that infiltrate the soil and the water tables from which we draw our water. Human waste is the primary cause of freshwater pollution.

And if 80% of the current pollution of the oceans comes from the land, it is because many of our wastes, badly managed or abandoned in the middle of nature, will end up in the waters of the planet. Carried by the winds, carried by the rivers, this is the long road that will lead our everyday objects to leave the treatment system.

As for plastic, it represents today 90% of marine waste, and its production could tomorrow represent 15% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Unmanaged or badly managed waste contributes to soil erosion and air and water pollution. It poisons the fauna that populates the habitat in which it is found, and it is a real brake on economic growth for countries since it is necessary to clean up pollution, improve the drinking water and boost the attractiveness of degraded areas. This inevitably has a cost. And yet, there is no lack of waste management resources.

Looking for help?

For all your garbage disposal and skip bin needs, you ought to call RONCO MINI BINS/SKIP HIRE. This Australian family-owned business has over 20 years in the garbage disposal industry and is at the top of its games. They also offer expert rubbish removal and waste management services to residents and business owners in Melbourne.

So what are you waiting for? Give them a call now, and they will offer their expertise in garbage removal to both business owners and residents in the Eastern and Northern suburbs of Melbourne. If this hasn’t convinced you yet, check their website and look at their more than competitive prices!

21
Nov, 2022
sustainable

Top 4 Simple Tips To Reduce Your Waste

What if you tried to better manage your waste and recycle at the office? Thanks to a few simple gestures and tips, you could greatly improve your environmental footprint and that of your company! Recycling is a fundamental tool to improve our environmental impact, and yet it is still not practiced enough. In the United States, 87% of the population says they recycle, but only 44% do so regularly. Moreover, if recycling is widespread at home, it is much rarer than it is practiced at the office.

All the good habits that we try to put in place when we are at home, we tend to forget when we arrive at work. And for a good reason, we are not alone in the office (and therefore not alone responsible). Waste accumulates, and recycling is forgotten, and it’s a pity because, with a few simple gestures or tricks, recycling and better managing waste at the office can be child’s play. As part of the No Impact Week, we suggest you discover how to do it. Here are 4 tips and tricks that you can easily implement in your company.

1. Organize an animation on the rules of recycling

recycle

Let’s start with the basics. In many companies, there aren’t even specific garbage cans for recycling. As a result, once lunch is over, all the garbage goes to the same place: plastic bottles, food waste, and cardboard… Then, many citizens still don’t know exactly how recycling should be done, what the rules are and how to easily respect them. So the first thing to do is to have the basic conditions in place to allow recycling at work! Here is a simple to-do list to follow:

    • Install or have installed specific garbage cans
    • Make sure that these garbage cans are taken care of by your company’s maintenance staff.
    • Organize an event to train employees on the rules of sorting. Indeed, the rules of waste sorting are sometimes complex: did you know, for example, that plastic yogurt cups cannot be recycled? Or that broken table glasses do not go in the glass garbage can?

Clearly display the rules of recycling on your garbage cans. So, no more excuses: everything is clearly indicated.

2. Install a composter

This is a simple way to manage food waste in the office. Whether you have a company restaurant or a simple canteen, installing composters to recycle your food waste is possible.

The principle is simple: they are bins in which you store certain organic waste. Then, depending on the type of composter, specific worms are added to transform this waste into compost, which can then be used to fertilize plants, for example. For those who are worried about it: when a composter is used correctly, it does not emit any smell.

However, hiring a master composter to install a composter or a worm composting machine and educate/train the employees is ideal. Once installed, all that is left to do is to fill it and handle it regularly to obtain quality compost.

3. Learn about the circular economy for your computer equipment

sustainable

Did you know that when a company’s computers need to be changed, there are specific channels that recover this equipment and take care of refurbishing it so that it can be reused by individuals or associations?

This is one of the links of what is called the circular economy. This part of the economy tries to promote recycling and reuse, which wants to avoid waste. By getting closer to the various structures of the circular economy, and in particular, the associations involved in reuse, we can drastically reduce our environmental footprint.

4. Install specific recycling bins

Another possibility to improve the management of waste in the company: call upon service providers to install specific recycling bins for certain waste. Batteries, light bulbs, batteries, or cigarette butts, for example, can be treated and recycled in specific channels. And it is quite possible for companies who wish to participate in the citizen dynamics of recycling to install in their premises bins to facilitate the sorting and recycling for their employees. Here is a list of waste for which you can install sorting bins:

    • Batteries, bulbs
    • Cigarette butts
    • Coffee capsules

Once these kiosks are installed, nothing could be simpler for employees: they simply drop off their waste, which is then collected by partner service providers. In addition to allowing the recycling of waste produced in the workplace, it can also serve as a collection point for employees’ domestic waste and thus encourage recycling.

Looking for help?

recycle

Do you live in Botany? Are you in search of a rental bin or waste management solutions? Then look no further because Empire Bins is here to solve all your problems. So, relax and give them a call on their wide range of rental bins and waste management solutions; they have a bin for whatever your needs are, be it for garbage removal, storage, or even if you have a large event coming up.

Renting a bin, hook bin, or even skip has never been easier than with the help of Empire Bins. Their motto is no job is too big or too small for them, and they deliver on their promise. What are you waiting for? They are only one phone call away!

4
Jul, 2022
recycling

Top 4 Things To Know About Recycling

The problem is that the rules of recycling are not always clear and not always well applied. To help you, here are a few simple rules to follow in order to sort properly. So here are the basics: to sort your waste, there are generally 3 garbage cans: the recyclables garbage can, the regular waste garbage can, and the glass garbage can.

As a general rule, the glass garbage can is for all glass-based waste, the recyclables bin is for plastics, paper, cardboard, and metal, while the regular garbage can is for everything else that cannot be recycled (including food waste). So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the things that you ought to know about recycling.

1. Benefits of recycling

recycling

Recycling means collecting used materials and turning them into new products rather than throwing them away. This process is beneficial to the environment and our local communities for the following reasons:

  • Reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and incineration plants.
  • Using much less energy.
  • Reduced carbon emissions.
  • Reduced water and air pollution.
  • Preservation of valuable natural resources, including trees and water.
  • Protect wildlife and natural habitats.
  • Creating jobs and supporting the economy.

2. Some objects that are thought to be recyclable are not

Many plastic objects are not recyclable; therefore, you should avoid putting them in the recycling garbage can! This is the case for yogurt pots, cookie trays, and any flexible packaging, such as toilet paper. The same is true for takeaway food trays from restaurants (sandwiches, kebabs, burgers, salads). In fact, it is only plastic bottles and flasks that are recyclable. You can forget about the rest.

As for glass, some objects made of this material are not recyclable either. This is the case for objects made of “culinary” glass, such as tableware and transparent dishes. Their melting temperature is higher than that of glass, so they cannot be recycled. On the other hand, glass jars, bottles, and bottles are recyclable.

3. How many times can a recyclable object be recycled?

recycling

It depends on the material used! If it is plastic, only plastic bottles and flasks are recyclable. The number of recycling is very limited: only two to three times! Indeed, at each stage of recycling, the plastic degrades and ends up not being reusable. Concerning glass, it is mineral and inert: it is therefore 100% recyclable and infinite, without losing quality. This is why it is preferable to buy glass bottles rather than plastic ones.

Finally, paper is a material made of cellulose fibers that come from wood or recovered paper. During each recycling process, these fibers break down and become damaged. This is why paper can only be recycled about ten times. Moreover, this quality degradation means that the newly manufactured paper cannot be made of 100% recovered fibers. In fact, the recycled paper contains about 50% recovered fibers, while conventional paper contains only 10%.

4. Some objects made of different materials can be recycled

A few decades ago, recycling technologies were not able to recycle objects made of different materials. But today, there are machines capable of separating the different materials of the same object. Thanks to them, separating plastic windows from envelopes and removing staples from documents is no longer necessary. It is important to check if your municipality is equipped with this machine.

With the many limitations of recycling that we have just discussed, one should not systematically rely on recycling! On the one hand, only a small amount of household waste is recycled in the United States. And on the other hand, when it is effectively recycled, it can only be recycled a limited number of times.

To contribute to more efficient recycling, we can, for example, prefer to buy glass water bottles instead of plastic ones. Or even better, drink tap water! We can also limit the purchase of products that are difficult to recycle, such as food packaging. We can buy certain foods in bulk and use our own containers. This would help reduce the amount of packaging produced.

Looking for help?

recycling

For all your garbage disposal and skip bin needs, you ought to call RONCO MINI BINS/SKIP HIRE. This Australian family-owned business has over 20 years in the garbage disposal industry and is at the top of its games. They also offer expert rubbish removal and waste management services to residents and business owners in Melbourne.

So what are you waiting for? Give them a call now, and they will offer their expertise in garbage removal to both business owners and residents in the Eastern and Northern suburbs of Melbourne. If this hasn’t convinced you yet, check their website and look at their more than competitive prices!