Waste Reduction Takes a Global Leap

Fuelled by exponential population growth, urbanisation, economic growth, and consumer shopping habits we are seeing waste problems escalating around the world. Globally, it is anticipated that by 2050 we will produce roughly 3.4 billion metric tons of waste, of which we currently only recycle 20%. 

Aussies generate around 67 Million tonnes of waste yearly, with around 10%-18% year-on-year growth. Most of this is considered core waste, the stuff that goes out to bin collection.

We only recycle around 13 million tonnes, much of which ends up in diverse places, from being shipped abroad to Asian countries such as India, Malaysia, and until recently China (we export around 4.4 million tonnes), while some sits around in warehouses as there are no viable markets to funnel it into production yet.

While Australia is vying to curb the ever-growing amount of waste and especially hard waste which adds to the copious amounts of core waste clogging up landfills, our recycling efforts across plastics, glass, paper/cardboard etc are noteworthy but below the international average.

Come to recyclables, an estimated 130 000 of plastics make their way into our waterways and oceans. Just late last year, despite the collapse of the soft plastics recycling scheme, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced a pledge by the Australian government to be recycling 100% of plastics by the year 2040.

The waste issue is certainly mounting. In an aim to really curb the creation of waste, implement waste reduction, and scale recycling efforts globally, we are seeing big brands and companies taking steps in the right direction, with the likes of Emirate Airlines providing passengers with soft blankets made from recycled plastic bottles, or IKEA who purchased a stake in a Dutch plastic recycling firm over five years ago to take steps toward a cyclic economy.

More recently, global brand WD-40 launched a massive international campaign called ‘Repair – Don’t Replace’ which aims to appeal directly to consumers encouraging them to consider repairing their equipment, tools, toys, washers, machinery, pushbikes, and the like, rather than replacing them.

Australia alone produces around 12 million tonnes of solid waste, which are those bulky things that end up on curbside collections, dumps, or worse – over the back fence. It is this chunk of our waste problem each of us can actually tackle because recycling an old bicycle, scooter, lawn mower or washing machine will actually be a lot easier than trying to keep almost any other form of household waste out of landfill.

“If Australia’s population really got involved, we can actually save thousands of tons of recyclable or repairable items from going to waste,” says Nick Roberts, General Manager for WD-40 Company ANZ. 

“If we all just took a moment to consider if an old bicycle, mower, motor, piece of machinery or equipment could be repaired rather than being tossed out, we would not only be supporting our environment but our wallets too,” explained Nick Roberts who is leading the global initiative in Australia.

And, the important thing to remember is, that with all the recycling efforts going on, we also have to ensure to buy recycled items and those made from recycled or reclaimed resources to close the loop and grow the cyclic economy, Roberts says.

Having invested heavily in the campaign and rolling it out across all of their major markets, including Australia, WD-40 is not only hoping to inspire a new sentiment reminiscent of the old ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ motto, but to get people to rethink their purchasing choices, both on an in-home level and the wider impact their decisions have environmentally on the world at large.

To incentivise this, WD-40, best known for its multi-use spray lubricant that can be found in almost every workshop, car boot, and garage, has launched a platform where repair jobs can be submitted and uploaded to share the diverse projects people are undertaking to inspire others to join the global initiative. With the campaign being rolled out internationally, details and how to participate can be found at the dedicated website set up for this ongoing campaign – www.repairchallenge.wd40.com.au.

“We are really hoping to make an impact on the micro level, knowing that lots of small changes can bring about a big shift and have a major impact. The campaign really aims to kick-start a different outlook and approach, which we hope will generate lasting change when it comes to hard waste, both here in Australia and internationally,” says Roberts.

The ‘Repair – Don’t Replace’ campaign launched only seven weeks ago inspiring repair workshops and onboarding many community groups and organisations around the country with hundreds of individual submissions already received.

“It is really the bigger picture we all have to keep in mind,” says Roberts, “Everything we repair gets a new life well away from landfill. This means it is not making way for a new item, which puts money back into people’s pockets, and for those actively trying to solve the waste problem, each repaired item is literally one thing less they have to worry about”. 

Happy Repairing, Reusing, and Recycling – the environment and our future generations will thank you for it.