Rethinking Waste: The reality check we all need

How a community workshop changed my perspective on waste priorities

Last Sunday, I attended a community workshop, Let's Talk Waste!, hosted by ACF Community Brisbane Northside and Regen Brisbane. We explored the reality of waste management in Brisbane from various angles.

So, if I asked you…

Would you say 40%? Yeah, I thought that too before I started looking into it. The answer is 1% - well its actually 0.5% which I rounded up to 1%. Most plastic used globally ends up in landfill, recycling or incineration.

Find out more at Our World in Data.

This demonstrates that we often think something is a bigger problem than it is. We see plastic waste as the villain of the modern age, the Lex Luthor of the sustainability world. We see it choking turtles, washing up on pristine beaches, and lurking ominously in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Companies love to flash their "green" credentials by slapping a "reducing ocean-bound plastic" label on their products, and the media keeps it front and centre in our minds. But let’s take a step back and look at the real data so we can focus our efforts where it will make the biggest difference.

The bigger picture: food waste vs. plastic waste

The best thing about having a waste management expert at your workshop is she can point you in the right direction. While plastic is an issue, it's not the biggest environmental baddie out there. That honour goes to food waste. Every year, millions of tonnes of food and food scraps end up in the bin, which is a double whammy for the environment—not only is the food itself wasted, but all the resources used to produce, transport, and store it go down the drain too. And here’s the kicker: plastic actually plays a crucial role in reducing food waste.

One study in South Asia found that switching fabric sacks for plastic crates reduced food losses from 20% to 3%. Refrigeration and plastic wrap increase the shelf life of food. Think about it. That shrink-wrapped cucumber you side-eye at the supermarket? It lasts three times longer than an unwrapped one. Those plastic-sealed meat trays? They keep your steak fresh for days instead of hours. If we ditched plastic packaging altogether, we'd likely see food waste skyrocket—which, environmentally speaking, is a worse problem than plastic waste itself.

But won’t we be swamped by plastic waste?

So, we saw from the graph above most plastic waste around the world ends up in landfill or is incinerated. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Isn't landfill bad?" Well, yes, but also… not as bad as you might think.

Again, I turn to a data scientist, Hannah Ritchie at Sustainability by Numbers (one of my heroes) for insights. According to Hannah, if all the plastic we’ve ever made went into landfills, it would only take up 0.01% of the Earth’s land area (around the size of a large city). And if landfills are well-managed, the plastic stays put instead of polluting our land, waterways and oceans. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should just chuck everything in the bin and call it a day, but it does reframe the problem a little.

Side note: Hannah wrote a great book Not the End of the World which provides great data-backed information on which solutions to seven key environmental issues will have the biggest bang for ‘buck’. Here’s a summary.

The waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle (and rethink!)

Recycling is still important, but let’s be real—it’s not a silver bullet. Most plastics can only be recycled once or twice before they degrade and end up in landfill anyway. The key is following the waste hierarchy: reduce what we use in the first place, reuse what we can, and recycle when possible. And let’s put our energy into tackling the biggest problem: food waste.

What’s happening in Brisbane? The FOGO trial

Here in Brisbane, food waste is on the radar. The Brisbane City Council recently ran a food organics and garden organics (FOGO) trial in selected suburbs, and the results are currently being analysed. One thing we do know. Contamination was a big issue—mainly from (you guessed it) plastic sneaking into the mix.

Last year, I wrote about what happens to garden waste in green bins. Food waste goes through a similar composting process—except it’s a bit trickier. Companies like Phoenix Power Recyclers are working to turn food scraps and garden clippings into nutrient-rich compost instead of letting them rot in landfills, where they would produce methane (a much nastier greenhouse gas than CO2).

The compost they make is the stuff we all buy at Bunnings to use in our gardens. Think about it. Do you want bits of someone else’s plastic waste in your compost? It shouldn’t be hard to only put organic waste into the green lid bin (no plastic!). If we get food and garden waste recycling right, we’re looking at healthier soils and fewer emissions. Win-win.

Food waste: what can you do about it?

The good news? Reducing food waste is something individuals can have a huge impact on. Here are some easy wins:

1. Reduce your food waste

• Plan your meals – no more mystery bags of salad liquefying in the fridge.

• Use your freezer – it’s a magical time capsule for food.

• Get creative with leftovers – your grandma was onto something with that casserole.

• Understand best-before vs. use-by dates – one is a guideline; the other is a health warning. Know the difference!

2. Compost at home

Consider whether you can set up a compost heap, a worm farm or even a bokashi bin. Saskya our resident waste expert has links to some great resources in her article. And the Brisbane City Council has a rebate system to help get you set up and great information.

3. Community composting

If you can’t compost at home a neighbour, friend or someone in your local area might be willing to take your food scrap to compost.

Brisbane City Council has 26 community composting hubs throughout the city and suburbs where you can take your food scraps to be turned into nutrients for soil.

Make Soil is a kind of dating site which matches people with food scraps to people who love composting.

The takeaway: think bigger, act smarter

So, what’s the real takeaway here? Yes, plastic pollution matters, and yes, we should aim to reduce, reuse, and recycle where possible. But let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. Food waste is a much bigger problem, and ironically, plastic is part of the solution to keeping our food fresh and reducing waste.

If we’re serious about sustainability, let’s focus on what will make the biggest impact. And hey, while you wait for your food waste to compost into wonderful nutrient rich soil, check out these resources for some myth-busting and data-driven insights:

• Emissions from food waste

• Emissions from food production

• Common environmental myths debunked

• FAQ on plastics and pollution

Let's be smart about this and focus on making sure our sustainability efforts have the biggest impact possible.

Interested in waste solutions and community discussions? Join the next Let's Talk Waste! workshop at 3pm on 13 April hosted by ACF Community Brisbane Northside. More details here.