Disaster Ahead for the People of Ipswich
As the Ipswich Council has determined that recycling schemes are too expensive and indicates it will end collections, the question is ‘what happens next’? If result of the explosion in Tip fees by Councils around Australia is anything to go by, what happens next will not be good
China recently decided to end acting like a rubbish dump for the rest of the world’s plastic waste. To borrow from the delightful Catherine Tate, ‘How Very Dare They‘! In response, some Councils such as the Queensland located Ipswich Council have declared that ‘recyling is too expensive‘. U-huh.
Of course they won’t be alone and I’d expect others to follow suit. So let’s quickly jump ahead to what the implications of non recyling will be, taking our lead from the impact of the privatisation and closure of municipal tips. As fees rose and tips closed, greed and stupidity kicked in. Councils now deal with the deviant behavious known as ‘Midnight Dumping’. This is where asbestos filled garbage bags get dumped near child care centres; mattresses, general waste and putrescible rubbish suddenly appear in paddocks or on new estates, and your own bin get’s loaded up at night by passing cars (or neighbours).
The end result is a spike in localised clean ups, rising costs through investigations, more litigation and no end in sight for illegal #ParasiteDumping. Which is what is going to happen to plastic and glass waste.
The issue of course is less about the off loading and more about how blind Australians have been to what they were getting rid of. All that plastic and glass is a R E S O U R C E. It can be used in various forms. For Councils, they don’t even need to sort it by type.
All glass can be crushed and used in concrete. A L L O F I T. And for plastics? Look under the tyres of your car and you’ll find R O A D S. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF PLASTIC can be shredded to make roads. It only has to be melted and mixed with aggregate. Long lasting, more impervious to damage and water ingress, flexible during heat changes so that it doesn’t crack or chip. Able to be easily and cheaply repaired if gouged or damaged. And let’s not talk about footpaths or perfectly good park benches and elaborately formed artworks or seating.
If you’re a consumer, start refilling reusable containers at point of purchase and leave the packaging behind. Yes, At The Supermarket – leave your excessive cardboard with the people who insist on it!
The issue is Not China, and it’s not the cost of recycling. It is the complete failure to see this as a product resource for the basics of Council infrastructure. Councils ending recycling schemes? How Very Dare They!
Are we there yet? Have people finally cottoned on to the idea that maybe, things aren’t going so well for the planet and our place in it? Storms, up; floods, up; fires, up; droughts, up; people being displaced by climate events, up. The signals are all around us. And yet, as a species we struggle…
Read More >One of the most challenges aspects for owners of businesses, and also for Boards charged with running businesses, is how to allow for the impact of a decision to unfold over time. Many listed company Boards will be delaying with a CEO on a limited tenure. The Board will have set expectations for performance and…
Read More >Local Governments in Australia face an emerging risk space that many seem unaware of. Brought on by rising costs, especially in business premises rentals, compliance needs and registration costs, research we’ve identified as part of work with a Local Government client is indicating a significant increase in businesses popping up in residential areas. What seems…
Read More >It’s been a rather hectic few months here at Looking Up Feeling Good in between getting a complete site rebuild, multiple interstate travel commitments and assisting an assortment of clients trying to deal with one rather interesting challenge – what to do when we’re supposed to be done and dusted with a pandemic, yet we…
Read More >Interesting emerging dynamic about to land on the shop fronts of Australian retailers that pose serious risks to their staff. And few retailers are ready With moderate level of vaccinations targets achieved, the NSW Government has decided to open up from a #Covid19 lockdown. It does so, relying on compliance enforcement to be undertaken by…
Read More >There’s a lot not to like about the latest spike in Victoria’s #Covid19 numbers. And the most culpable are mainstream media companies who created the social response The latest spike in #Covid19 infections can be directly attributed to Channel 7, Channel 9 and the ABC with lesser blame attributed to Channel 10 and SBS. In…
Read More >For those of you that follow me on other platforms, you’ll have seen, heard or read some of my thoughts on the lab grown proteins from firms like #ImpossibleFoods or #BeyondMeat. I’m a fan of those lab grown protein concepts arriving at that position whilst undertaking a Master of Science in 2004 in which…
Read More >Trying to understand something you’ve never experienced before can be a real challenge. In this post the #Covid19 #pandemic is explained using cars and traveling Your body is your car – it’s your mode of transport in this life. We want to treat it well and insure it and ideally we want to be able…
Read More >There’s a significant disconnect with a number of articles on ‘Hybrid Workplaces’ and it’s really disappointing to see SO MANY large consultants pump out articles that ignore reality. So this is a short take to offer an additional perspective. 1) Hybrid workplaces have existed for centuries, they are not new, though the sudden interest is…
Read More >Hi everyone – though a focus on particular those of you in Victoria, Australia who have an idea related to sports, active living or recreation that they might like to convert into a business. Sportstech & Active Living Pre-Accelerator program is being run by the Australian Sport Technologies Network (ASTN) and the Global Sports…
Read More >