Reduce.Reuse.Recycle

We hear these words everywhere. It’s so often that you’d think everybody is practising these three seemingly simple tasks. But, more often than not, people don’t.

Australia generates around 74 million tonnes of waste yearly. A big city like Sydney is even predicted to dump 200,000 tonnes of wastes into landfills by 2030. With this number, you might think that recycling is also well-observed. But guess what, only 60% of the population recycles.

What went wrong?

Even if projects and companies promoting proper rubbish removal in Sydney are present, improper disposal will always remain an issue as long as people cannot distinguish the wastes they’re dealing with.

Is this biodegradable? safe for direct disposal? recyclable? All these questions make proper segregation seem like a tiresome chore, so to help you with your woes, here are ten (10) types of common house rubbish.

Solid Waste

Solid waste is broadly defined as any non-hazardous object or sludge discarded from residential, commercial, or industrial applications. Hence, it is often interpreted as an all-encompassing term for all types of wastes. However, for simplicity, we will limit its definition to wastes that are solid in form and are mostly dry.

Common examples of these at home are the following:

Plastics: Due to the durability and low-cost production of plastics, household items are often made of this material—food containers, tumblers, food wrappers, and even your go-to party supplies. But plastics are non-biodegradable and cannot be mixed with organic wastes. Fortunately, some can be recycled and repurposed.

Papers: Another material that is abundant at home are papers. Unlike plastics, papers are produced from natural materials like wood pulp or any fibrous raw material, making them biodegradable.

Glass: Next is glass. Glass materials are much more expensive than other materials due to their desirable qualities like toughness and translucency. However, these are also very fragile and are unusable once broken.

Metals: Metals mostly found at home are aluminium for kitchen utensils and tin for canned goods. Due to the ductility of metals, these are often recyclable.

Bulky Waste

These wastes can also be classified as solid wastes. But, their quite significant size makes it difficult to be disposed of in the same manner as most solid wastes. Examples of these are:

• Termite-infested furniture
• Springy couch
• The rusty car you’ve owned since college.

the size of these wastes, it is best to leave them to a professional’s care to ensure your safety. Apart from having years of experience, rubbish removal companies in Sydney also have access to disposal facilities and equipment that are usually beyond the reach of a regular house owner. But, if these ‘wastes’ are still functional, you may also consider donating to your community centre.

Construction Debris

After having your house repairs, construction rubbish like excess wood, hollow blocks, and even worn-out roofing materials may be lying around your lawn.

Apart from being visual stressors, this waste may also cause mild to severe injuries If not correctly handled. Thus, just like bulky wastes, these are best removed by professionals.

Organic Waste

Since organic wastes come from plants and animals, these can be broken down by specific microorganisms into methane, carbon dioxide, and other simple compounds, establishing their biodegradability. Examples of these are leftovers, livestock manure, and even plant stalks.

Since these wastes decompose, it is best not to send them to landfills to save space. Instead, use a compost pit or donate to local Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facilities for energy conversion.

However, suppose you’re still uncertain about the collected organic wastes’ composition. In that case, you may also consult a local rubbish removal or recycling agency on what to do.

Garden Waste

Garden waste is simply a more specific type of organic waste. These are still biodegradable since they are primarily from plants. These include grass cuttings, flowers, bushes, branches, and soil. Their disposal is pretty similar to organic wastes, but you might need some help for the more significant pieces.

Recyclable

All rubbish that can still be reprocessed or given an economic value as a new product or a raw material is recyclable. An example of these are plastic bottles turned into bags and clothes. However, despite the potential of these wastes, 84% of plastic bottles still end up in landfills.

If you ever take recycling seriously, it is also important to remember that ‘recycle’ does not necessarily equate to ‘reuse’. Some products can be recycled into something else but cannot be reused for safety reasons.

Liquid Waste

As implied by its name, these wastes are in liquid form. These include laundry wastewater and oil or grease from frying.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

HHW’s are often in the form of liquid. But, unlike a regular liquid waste, these can potentially cause mild to severe injuries due to their chemical properties (e.g. flammability, toxicity, and corrosiveness). Examples of these are disinfectants, drain cleaner, and mothballs.

Electronic Waste

Electronic wastes (E-waste) are composed of discarded electrical or electronic items, such as electric wires, damaged mobile phones, broken computers, televisions, and your mother’s 10-year old blender. Since these wastes often have built-in batteries with them, E-waste recycling facilities have been built in Sydney. You can drop off your scraps there or have them picked up.

However, the waste you can drop in these facilities does not include smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, car batteries, and fluorescent lamps. If you want to have these items thrown, you may hire rubbish removal companies instead.

Medical Waste

Wastes that carry infectious materials, like surgical masks, are called medical wastes. Due to the harm they may cause to people, these are not recycled and are immediately disposed of in regulated incineration facilities and landfills. To also lower your local garbage collectors’ risk of infection, make sure to separate these wastes from your common wastes.

Knowing these different types of wastes is just the first step towards a more sustainable, safe, and clean household environment. There is still a lot to learn, and whenever you experience difficulties, don’t be afraid to ask for expert help.