Currently, the dumping of food, garden, paper and wood wastes produces high levels of landfill gas, consisting mostly of methane, which has a global warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide. Unless new recycling policies are implemented, there is a significant risk of increasing greenhouse gas emissions over the next 50 years, making up potentially 85% of Australia’s future carbon budget, according to original research conducted by sustainability consultants Warnken ISE. In order to address this challenge there are a range of solutions available said the Resource Recovery Collaboration.
Total Environment Centre director, Jeff Angel, said “This is a pollution liability we must avoid. To combat it, these degradable materials should be recycled, instead of land filled. Measures such as a landfill allowance scheme, emissions trading, bans and levies imposed at the tip, are available.”
Visy General Environment Manager, Nick Harford agrees saying “Closed loop recycling and re-use of these materials is vital with significant potential for future investment in these new generation industries.”
John Lawson, Manager at Global Renewables, stated that “strategy needs to be implemented now to decrease greenhouse gases and increase the sustainable use of resources. Business-as-usual projections of landfill emissions show an increase from 15.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year in 1990 to 46.9 million tonnes by 2050. We believe removal of this pollution would be widely accepted by the Australian community.”
Anna Mitchell, Corporate Development and Sustainability Manager with WSN Environmental Solutions pointed out that “WSN’s customers are seeking responsible waste management solutions as they realise there is a real opportunity to reduce their climate change impact by the choices they make about waste management.”