AGW v Rubbish

The piece on Attenborough started me thinking.

If just one quarter of the money, resources, and time, that is spent on AGW, was directed to genuine solutions to garbage pollution, we would all be better off, as would animals on land and in the oceans.

By genuine, I don't mean stopping the free plastic bags at the s'market.

Our local hard rubbish pick-up was supposed to happen about six weeks ago.    Mountains of rubbish on the nature strips have grown to incredible heights.   We've had some windy days which have blown stuff all over the place....no doubt, tonnes landing in the waterways.     Obviously there is an issue as to why no pick-up, which the council won't explain.    

Garbage pollution is our biggest problem, I believe.

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Mountains of rubbish, where exactly?

Flowing out of the rivers in Asia and Africa and because of the huge populations along the banks of those rivers, especially towards the mouth.  But we are being made to feel responsible for the pollution and abuses of women in those countries, for the toxic cultural beliefs and practices, and the lack of birth control as examples.

Global warming is another example where Australia's contribution is minuscule.  But school children are being encouraged by teachers and the media with the ABC leading the charge :( to feel that they are responsible and the world is facing imminent catastrophe because of the Australian government's 'denial' (fake news).

Of course there are always some ferals who leave pizza cartons on benches in the park and if they bring their dog, the dung is not picked up.  It is their laziness or way of hitting back at society for the outcome of their own selfish stupidity.  That is why there are fines.

 

At tips in Australia and everywhere in the lanscape in the big cities of third world nations.

Because it costs to recyle nothing changes. A bit lick healthcare for the poor in America - nobody thinks it is their responsibility to pay.

A great step forward in NSW has been the refund for cans and plastic bottles but this needs to go a lot further including bags which are non toxic and bio degradeable.  I won't be holding my breath.  After all this is Australia where we copy America 2 decades after they have moved and look the other way the rest of the time.

 

@ mick -  SA had deposits on bottles cans etc  in 1983 -  and yes Australia tends to be a slow learner. 

We have all sorts of opportunies to observe what the rest of the world is up to and particularly UK where majority of our ancestors hail from - but that attracts the haters of "poms"  who quite obviously simply have to feel inferior - cant think of any other reason why myself. 

As for pollution of the oceans - most of this is from third world counties where we send far too much money these days.

I'm a great believer in "God helps those who help themselves" as taught by the Nuns.

So we should stop sending money to ountries who poolute today as they have simply not got done to business of helping themselves - except for taking our taxpayer money whilst still hating us usually. 

My Nuns had us fasting for Easter & sending money to "The Missions". None of this "God helps those who helps themselves" stuff. Good lord, that would mean we should take control of our own lives, which was definitely NOT encouraged. As females, we were born to be controlled.

I've seen shocking rubbish in ports of Java & Sumatra, but people who are on the bones of their bums just trying to survive, can't be expected to spend efforts to reduce rubbish. It is their governments who should be responsible for that. But again, Third World problems are vastly different to ours. Ours are about quality of life while theirs is about life itself.

On the nature strips in a suburb nearby.

I am in WA have only seen that on the annual green rubbish collection Darcy.

Celia, I  should have explained more clearly, sorry. Maybe other states don't have the same collections.

In Melbourne, most councils organise a hard rubbish collection, as distinct from garden waste. Almost anything except wnitegoods, and plastics , can be left on the nature strip for collection by the council, who probably use sub contractors. So, old furniture, mattresses, all sorts of stuff are left on the nature strip, to, in theory be collected within a certain time period. 

In this instance, to which I  refer, the hard rubbish should have been collected over a month ago. Now, because some people are stupid or selfish or both, plastic and other light material gets left out with the hard stuff. So in the windy weather, lots of softer material gets blown about, and end's up in our waterways, and often can be blown in front of cars. I don't want to name the council, but they are a disgrace for allowing the long delay in  collection,  and have the cheek to charge enormous amounts in rates, plus lecture people on recycling etc, when all this rubbish keeps piling up, with people just throwing anything on as they go past. 

Anyone driving through this suburb would think they are in a third world country.

darcy

You are right about that.  Thinking too of the garbage left on the street by itinerant tenants.  Much worse when it gets to become and accepted ritual.  You can tell the rented premises by the continual contributions to rubbish left n the nature strip. Buy a new TV and leave the old one and the new carton on the grass for someone else to take care of one day. 

We also get a hard rubbish collection in NSW and the Council advises ratepayers to leave the rubbish out on a Sunday to be picked up during the week. All day Sunday we see scavengers driving up and down ratting through the different piles although they usually leave the piles smaller but tidy. My cynicism suggests that the Council allow for this to reduce their workload. In reality, the area can't be picked up in one day and it usually takes 4/5 days. It's a free service which, in our area, has reduced roadside rubbish.

A very small tip of a very large iceberg and getting bigger by the year.

Where about are you talking about, I live in the Illawarra area, and for at least the last 5 years you have had to book a hard pick up, you are allowed 2 pick ups per year, also if you are on the pension there is unlimited drop offs at the local tip if you have the means to get it there. This system is much better than the old system, which was you were given an allocated time frame of about 6 weeks, that’s were most off problems arose as you say with rubbish left out for weeks and scavengers going through it and leaving it spread everywhere, since the new system started we have had very few problems

Thanks Jim, I wish our area had a similar method to yours, especially the free tipping for pensioners.

A much better system I  believe if one has to book.

We only have 2 pickups a year and we have to book them and not put the stuff out till the night b4 the pickup

Most places/shops no longer have free shopping bags. Many years ago they were strong enough to re-use every week for shopping for a few months. T"hey would eventually get mall holes if you bought canned food ( such as canned fish). I even taped up some small holes and used the bgs for another month or so. A couple of supermarkets had a reward scheme. You were given a card and when you re-used bags the card was stanped. When it was full you got $1.00 of your grocery bill. It was a great incentive for people to get rewards. For families it didn't take long to fill a card as usually we got one stamp for every bag. You had to get about 30 stamps to fill the card. Some people use them as kitchen bin liners and rubbish goes out in them rather than  loose rubbish blowing everywhere when the bins are emptied in windy weather.

I have 3 Woolies lightweight re-usable bags in my handbag. They became available after the one-use PB ban. So good IMO. Use them everyday when out and about.

After quite a while now, they still serve all my shopping bag needs.

I reuse my Coles  plastic bags for shopping for lighter items.If people are not  Plastic bags will the way ou so other forms of platic bags will be used for rubbish. NO  win on the plasti front when it goes to the rrubbish dump

We used t reuse our plastic bags as bin liners.  Now we are buying them, so where are we reducing the use of plastic?

We have been conned yet again.  

That was exactly my point when it was first mooted about getting rid of the bags.  I now pay around $30 a year for what I got for free.  All it has done is move the cost from the supermarkets etc to the consumer.

NSW landfill sites near capacity as councils ask for bigger share of State Government waste levy

"We're basically drowning in our own waste," says Coffs Harbour councillor Sally Townley.

Dr Townley said the situation was at crisis stage. "In Coffs Harbour, the waste that we are generating each year has quadrupled in the last decade. So people are buying more, using more, throwing more things away.”

Councils cannot send their recycling overseas anymore because China and other countries are refusing to take it. In some cases it is simply being stockpiled.

Full story from 17 December 2018 article.

So much rubbish.

I have no idea how we as a society will deal with the problem right here in Australia, let alone overseas.

Why dont they incinerate it like other countries overseas do?

Beats me - why they waste good land filling it up with rubbish that affects water tables and contaminates as well. 

Regarding footpath pickups.

I'm in the Logan area, and pickups are carried out twice a year.

Each time there are two pickups, one for hard waste and one for green waste.

They are always picked up within the week specified.

I must be in a lucky area.

They are trailling specieal clips that hold the lids down so rubbish will be blown out of bins.Hope  the  clips do become an option as this would be a way of preventing rubbish from splling out aneentering creeks  and oceans.

Plenty of people with torches at night mining the Council recycling bins since the introduction of the 10c container refund in Qld (wef 1Nov18).  To be a regular sight on weekends and public holidays I suppose.

Good to see the system working LJ, the crap would otherwise be going into landfill.  

How is it 'working'? 

It is the original purchaser who forks out the 10c surcharge - for 'feel good' politics.

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