Recycling and turning off the lights are good steps towards a more sustainable society, but they are not nearly as important for the climate as reducing meat consumption, air travel and driving.
In places where reusable cups are allowed, coffee drinkers, cafe owners and local governments can use insights from behavioural science to discourage use of throwaway cups.
Pandemic precautions have given new life to disposable plastic products, which the industry claims are more ‘hygienic’ than reusables. But critics say there’s no scientific evidence this is so.
The federal government today announced $1 billion plan to divert more than ten million tonnes of waste from landfill. But waste management is about more than just recycling.
The COVID-019 pandemic has boosted use of disposable packaging and personal protective equipment, at the same time that many recycling programs are facing budget cuts. The upshot: More plastic trash.
Electronic waste is accumulating and is a resource to be exploited. Microfluidic devices allow the development of recycling, including the recycling of rare earths – a precious resource.
The Morrison government aims to encourage the recycling of plastics, as well as committing financial assistance for upgrading infrastructure to boost the capacity for this waste to be reused.