The Lifecycle of Your Waste
A Path from Kitchen to Landfill
Have you ever wondered what happens to the trash you throw away?
Where does it go and how does it get there?
Most of us take waste disposal for granted without thinking about the complex journey our garbage takes before ending up in a modern landfill.
Professional rubbish removalists will go through the waste journey that can help us gain more appreciation for the waste industry.
Surely, it will inspire us to take responsibility for reducing our environmental impact.
The Start of the Journey – Your Household Bin
The journey begins right in your own kitchen. You finish a product and toss the packaging in your kitchen bin. Over the week, the bin fills up with food scraps, plastic bottles, paper, glass, and other household waste items.
When collection day arrives, you wheel your bin to the curb to await pickup. The waste collectors arrive in heavy garbage trucks and empty your bin contents into the back of the truck. This is where the real waste processing journey begins.
Transporting the Trash
After collection, the garbage truck continues along its route, collecting waste from other households and businesses. As more waste piles up in the back, it is compacted by a hydraulic ram which crushes the trash to save space.
Once the truck completes its run, it travels to a transfer station or materials recovery facility. Here, your waste joins up with loads from across the region. It is unloaded from the collection trucks and consolidated together into larger loads.
Sorting and Processing
The next stop is a sorting area where the mixed waste is separated into different waste streams. What remains is termed “residual waste to landfill” which cannot currently be recycled.
Final Disposal in a Modern Landfill
This residual waste makes the last leg of the journey to the modern landfill for safe disposal. At the landfill site, the trash is spread out, compacted, and covered with soil in layers inside a carefully constructed cell.
Once a landfill cell has reached capacity, it is sealed and capped. Monitoring and maintenance continue at the site long after closure. Your single-use coffee cup could remain entombed in the landfill for decades or longer.
Making Improvements for the Future
While we often think our organic waste just “goes away”, we can see it actually has a complex journey before final disposal. There are opportunities for improvement at each stage of the process. Here are some ways we can have a positive impact:
- Reduce food waste generation – Plan meals, store food properly, and compost scraps.
- Reuse more – Repair broken items instead of replacing them, donate what you no longer need, and shop at secondhand stores.
- Recycle properly – Ensure recyclable materials are clean and dry before placing in your recycling bin.
- Compost food waste and green waste – Diverts organic matter from landfills and creates a useful soil amendment.
- Dispose of electronic waste responsibly – Take batteries, lightbulbs and electronics to designated drop-off locations.
Learning about the journey of our waste helps us understand the environmental impact of our consumption habits. We can all make small changes to reduce waste, recycle properly, and make smarter purchasing decisions. With everyone doing their small part, we can significantly lighten the load filling up our modern landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does trash stay in the landfill?
Trash can remain in a modern landfill for decades or longer. Factors like the type of waste and the landfill environment affect decomposition rates.
Does all trash end up in landfills?
No. With proper recycling and composting programs, a significant portion of waste can be diverted from landfills.
What is the biggest source of landfill waste?
Construction and demolition waste makes up around 38% of total landfill volumes in Australia. Municipal solid waste from households accounts for another 20%.[1]
Can landfill waste ever be retrieved?
Once buried and sealed, landfill waste is very difficult to retrieve. Some closed landfill sites have been mined to recover metals and other valuable materials, but this is a complex and expensive process.
Conclusion
The long and winding journey of our waste teaches us that what we toss in the bin does not just “go away” – it has real impacts.
Though the waste management system works hard to properly process the deluge, there is only so much that can be done after the waste is generated.
The power lies in our hands, as individuals and communities, to pursue less wasteful lifestyles.
Through mindful consumption, reuse, recycling, and composting, we can transform our relationship with waste and protect the planet for generations to come.
Your next trip to the trash bin is an opportunity to make a change.
