This attitude towards bulk waste is so prevalent that in the 10 years I've been taking bookings for skip bins central coast I've never once had anyone ask me what happens to the waste. The attitude is literally I have some stuff that I no longer want or need and I want it dealt with, I don't care what happens to it, as long as I don't have to deal with it.
This simply compounds the pressure on the industry to find ways to sweep the problem under the carpet. Unfortunately as we now enter the era of responsibility the industry is going to come under increased scrutiny which will hopefully result in more transparency and waste generators actually caring what happens with their waste.
In 2018 we all heard the stories here on the Central Coast about the landfill operation in trouble at Mangrove Mountain over stockpiling of wastes and discharge of chemicals into Ourimbah Creek. It seems that the conflicting agendas of wanting the cheapest waste services and on profiting from waste disposal have caused some operators issues.
In 2019 we have seen unprecedented focus on curbside recycling and waste operations across the country leading to the eventual ban on waste exports (for recycling). Global supply chain issues have led to it being inadvisable to export materials for recycling into the future.
The issue really comes down to the economic forces at play in the market. If the consumer of the bulk waste removal services is not interested in the end destination of the rubbish and unwanted items they are paying to get rid of then their will continue to be no accountability to the public.
While it is certainly possible for governments to legislate and demand information on what has been collected, reused, recycled, recovered or disposed of, it relies on the collections operations to accurately report what is happening on the ground.
A better way would be for consumers and businesses to actually take some interest in how they can recycle better and that starts with making the right purchasing decisions. By looking into what can be done with packaging and with products at the end of life consumers themselves can be the solution to our waste problems.
By asking more questions about how items will be dealt with consumers can get an idea of how their waste will be recycled and recovered to maximise diversion from landfill.