Australia, we need to talk - about waste

RedCycle's news this week that they're pausing soft plastics collections throws the recycling industry into the spotlight and I have had dozens of people messaging me to ask for my insights or opinion on it.

Having worked in zero waste for five years and getting to know the landscape pretty well, I can share a few things...

1. Profit-maximising companies will only enter a market where there's a big enough margin to be made.

2. There is a lot of money being made out of sending things to landfill. The incentive for big waste companies to shift billions of dollars of capital and systems to keeping materials in circulation isn't there (yet?).

3. Happily, there's a kind of business that is highly motivated to help solve this problem. Social enterprises will enter a market where there is social and environmental good to be done.

4. That social and environmental good can only be done if they can cover their costs. They are driven by purpose, not profit, but they need to be able to pay for staff, facilities, transport, etc. No business, including social enterprise, can operate at a loss.

5. Recycling things properly takes a lot of labour, a lot of capital, or both. Those things are expensive.

6. Recycling facilities often catch on fire (machines are working continuously for most of the day, creating heat and friction, and many recyclables such as plastics, batteries, paper and cardboard are highly flammable). A few years ago it became almost impossible to insure recycling facilities, forcing recyclers to pay huge premiums or to "self-insure" (take on the legal and financial risk themselves) and only very large companies can afford to do that.

7. Recycling is only possible when there's somewhere for the recycled content to go (like companies willing to buy it to use in their products).

8. Recycling is the minimum we should be aiming for, not the full answer. Repair and reuse are much better options as they stay in circulation for longer. Imagine the time, cost and energy it takes to crush a glass bottle and melt it down to then make a new bottle compared to sterilising and reusing that bottle (like they still do in many countries).

So where to from here?

We need:

- Governments to create the policy environments that reward good behaviour (reuse, repair and recycling) and discourage bad behaviour (landfill). This can be in the form of subsidies for the former and taxes for the latter, as well as regulations like product stewardship, banning single use plastics and mandating the right to repair.

- Companies to commit to reuse wherever possible; or designing long-lasting, repairable items and using compostable products and packaging where reuse isn't possible; or at a minimum buying recycled content for their products and packaging; and taking legal and financial responsibility for their products and packaging (#yourproductyourproblem).

- Customers to vote with our wallets by choosing reuse over compostable over recyclable, and avoiding landfill-bound items (including soft plastics!) wherever possible. And contacting companies we want to buy from to ask them to do better.

- Funding to start, maintain, scale and replicate existing models that are great for people and the planet and could do more if the funding gap were covered.

Like climate change, inequalities, food systems and other big challenges we are facing, waste is everyone's problem. So we all need to be part of the solution.

PS. There is hope! Here are some incredible social enterprises already doing great things with little or no government or corporate support. Imagine what they could do WITH some support!

Soft Landing recycles mattresses across Australia

Green Connect Illawarra helps businesses and events to go zero waste

RooCreate designs sustainable, compostable packaging

Green Collect reuses and repurposes office furniture, stationery and more

Mates on the Move (part of Prisoners Aid Association of NSW ) provides a pick-up service for specific recyclable and energy-from-waste items such as paper towels and coffee cups.

WorkVentures refurbishes old computers and more for resale

Greenacres Disability Services , Worldview Foundation recycle e-waste

For Purpose Recycling sells products made from recycled ocean plastics

The Reconnect Project refurbishes devices and donates them to people in need

And so many more! Please let me know who I have missed.

#recycling #zerowaste #circulareconomy #socialenterprise