Landfill Portal
Originally uploaded by Nargopolis

Looking beyond right now to recognise long-term consequences...
When it comes to implementing new ways of doing things in our day-to-day, unless there is some direct and negative implication of not adhering to these encouraged changes, there will inevitably be some reluctance to get on board.

It is natural to be motivated by consequences and while, for the most part, this is positive, in areas such as adopting environmental best practise, failing to see long term consequence for the earth - rather than just looking for short-term direct and personal consequence - can mean you are negatively contributing to what is already a monumental problem facing our international community.

Is laziness part of why are we not recycling & reusing?
While it is safe to say most of society is aware of recycling and re-using as best practise when it comes to waste disposal - this does not necessarily mean that awareness has transferred to action. There is still a significant proportion of households and companies that do not recycle to the greatest achievable extent, or even at all, and as such put out a larger than necessary amount of waste into the non-recyclable collection that will ultimately end up in land-fill.

Change needs to be met with facilities and encouragement - specific recycling bins and clear signage need to be provided within companies and in our homes to enable an easy transition. Encourage your family, friends and co-workers so that the act of recycling is seen as an imperative that is widely accepted and even to the extent that choosing not to recycle is frowned upon. Simple measures like these can ensure that recycling will become second nature.

Is money the motivator individuals and companies require to amp up their recycling efforts?
The idea of costing non-recyclable waste by weight has been raised in the UK (source: A charge for disposing large amounts of unrecyclable waste? The Wickedness! - The Guardian). A government body suggesting charging for a service that is currently provided free of charge (or where costs are met from existing taxes and levies) will certainly provoke passionate discussion amongst those to be affected by the proposed change. Already, some have suggested this idea is merely another way for our governing authorities to push up revenue. However, before allowing too much scepticism on this proposed new fee, consider three things:

1. Is this it not possible that hitting people's wallets is the best way to get everyone truly on board with environment best practise? People are often times greater motivated by practises that see them able to save money or avoid monetary penalties. If recycling properly and paying closer attention to consumption could save a household or company money, charging cost-per-weight for non-recyclable waste would broaden the appeal of recycling to those who could not initially find benefit in their adopting of the practise of recycling into their lifestyle.

2. Disposing of unnecessary amounts of non-recyclable waste is detrimental to the wider community. Why is it that we feel we should not be penalised for unnecessary damage to an entity that is not our own personal property? (That 'entity' being the earth).

3. As the article on The Guardian points out, we pay for other services by level of consumption rather than by way of a flat rate (for example: energy). Why then should the service of collecting waste be any different?

It is not as if we are faced with no alternate option but produce large amounts of non-recyclable wast - we have the option to act responsibly and minimise our waste output through re-use & recycling as well as making smarter consumer choices (choosing products with less packaging or packaging that can be recycled) - so why does charging for excessive waste cause such an enormous and appalled uproar amongst some? What do you think?


Do you believe that implementing a cost-per-weight charge for the collection of non-recyclable waste would encourage people to rethink their levels of packaged consumption and how they dispose of waste?