A report on environmental trends says that each year every Australian creates one ton of rubbish, making the nation the second largest waste creator after the United States.

21 million tons of solid waste were put in landfills each year, equal to about 1.146 tons a person annually, or 3.14 kilograms a person each day. A significant amount of this was material classified as hazardous, such as old batteries, which people throw out with the rest of their household garbage.

A report on Australia’s biodiversity earlier this year found that nearly 1600 species are in danger of extinction because of human activities such as land clearing.

Consumption of water and energy throughout Australia is at a record high, and is likely to continue while standards of living are high, the Australian Bureau of Statistics report says. The bureau found that “in terms of sustainability, high resource consumption and increasing outputs of wastes are important features of Australian society and are related to the nation’s growing population and increasingly high standard of living”.

Environmental groups called for the creation of a “sustainability council” to address the country’s resource-guzzling habits, saying not enough was being done to encourage people to live in way that was less damaging to the environment.

Greenhouse gas emissions had risen 17.4 per cent between 1990 and 1999, from 390 million tons of carbon dioxide and its equivalents to 458 million tons. Domestic power consumption, including car use, accounted for one third of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.

Recent reports have highlighted Sydney’s increasing hunger for power but environmental groups have criticised the State Government for failing to adopt aggressive demand-management programs.

The director of the Total Environment Centre, Jeff Angel, said energy planners and governments needed to “lead the way to reduce Australia’s excessive share of greenhouse gas emissions”. “Demand can be easily reduced by energy efficiency programs if government and industry have the will to make them happen,” Mr Angel said.

The bureau did note Australians were recycling more, and more people had also indicated they were prepared to buy organically grown fruit and vegetables, which use less water and fewer chemicals.

Yes, it’s that time of week again where the majority of us are back to grindstone.  Over the next few days, there is bound to be discussions around the workplace of what people are doing for the upcoming weekend.  What will I be doing you may ask?  It may not be too surprising (hence this post), but myself and my partner are hiring a skip bin so we can clean out the garage.  I can’t believe how much rubbish and just pure junk has been collected and stored over the years.  Sound like something you could/should be doing?  Well hop on over to www.bookabin.com.au and book your skip bin today!!!

Yes, it’s that time of year again where the sun shines a little brighter, the plant life starts its blooming process, and the parking lots at the beaches start filling up as people are eager to enjoy the benefits of summer.  While this is all fun and really gets the mind on the more enjoyable parts of life, let’s not be so hasty to forget the some of the responsibilities of this enjoyment.  What am I referring to you may ask?  It’s the abundance of extra rubbish that is being left on the beaches!

Now we all know that you are suppose to put rubbish in a bin.  Correct?  So if we all know this then why is it occuring?  Do people just don’t care?  Is it too much trouble to get up, find a bin, and put the rubbish in it?  Is there the thought that someone else will pick it up?  Or any other ill-thought excuses for such a simple task?  Who knows, but it sure does seem to be a problem.  In fact, just last week, more than 100kg of rubbish was found and collected from two of the most visited beaches in Wollongong.  This simply isn’t acceptable!

So the next time you are at the beautiful beaches and enjoying your day, please take the time to clean up after yourselves so that others can experience an enjoyable days outing.  And if you happen to see someone littering or even leaving rubbish behind, don’t hesitate to offer a friendly reminder.  We can all do our part in keeping the beaches beautiful.

It’s nearly September which means it is nearly Spring. And you know what that means right? Spring cleaning time!

If you are doing a big spring clear out and need somewhere to dispose of your rubbish then hire a bin from www.bookabin.com.au. Our friendly and reliable suppliers will drop off and pick up a bin the day and time that suits you.  It’s that easy! 

Servicing Australia wide including Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

Australians could start to get paid by the government for rubbish!  Cool huh?!  This will help keep the country clean, people won’t want to litter or throw their rubbish away, as they will literally be throwing their money away!

However, until this initiative starts, your rubbish will still be flowing. www.bookabin.com.au has numerous suppliers all through out Australia, all waiting to deliver you a bin.  Most of our suppliers think green and recycle what they can.

So whether you are in Queensland, New South Whales, Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia or even Tasmania, we have a bin for you!

Tasmanians generate approximately one tone of waste per person annually, so if we are not doing our bit to help the environment you can only imagine the amount of waste we will collate over the next ten years.

One way to reduce the quantity of rubbish we dump into our landfills is to recycle. By transforming waste materials into useable resources, recycling reduces landfill and conserves resources, provides a way to manage solid waste while reducing pollution, conserves energy, creates jobs and builds more competitive manufacturing industries.

Check out your pile of junk….some of the things that can be recycled include the following items:

• Clean dry clothing and material
• Car batteries without cracks
• Newspapers, brochures and magazines
• Milk, cream and juice cartons
• Cleaned glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum and steel cans
• PET, HDPE and PVC plastic
• Non waxed or plastic coated cardboard

Use the addresses below to find your local council and see where the nearest recycling facility is located.

Break O’Day - www.bodc.tas.gov.au
Brighton - www.brighton.tas.gov.au
Burnie - www.burnie.net
Central Coast - www.centcoast.tas.gov.au
Central Highlands - www.centralhighlands.tas.gov.au
Circular Head - www.circularhead.tas.gov.au
Clarence City - www.ccc.tas.gov.au
Derwent Valley - www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au
Devonport City - www.dcc.tas.gov.au
Dorset - www.dorset.tas.gov.au
Flinders - www.flinders.tas.gov.au
George Town - www.georgetown.tas.gov.au
Glamorgan Spring Bay - www.gsbc.tas.gov.au
Glenorchy City - www.gcc.tas.gov.au
Hobart City - www.hobartcity.com.au
Huon Valley - www.huonvalley.tas.gov.au
Kentish - www.kentish.tas.gov.au
Kingborough - www.kingborough.tas.gov.au
King Island - www.kingisland.tas.gov.au
Latrobe - www.latrobe.tas.gov.au
Launceston - www.launceston.tas.gov.au
Meander Valley - www.meander.tas.gov.au
Northern Midlands - www.northernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Sorell - www.sorell.tas.gov.au
Southern Midlands - www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Tasman - www.tasman.tas.gov.au
Waratah Wynyard - www.warwyn.tas.gov.au
West Coast - www.westcoast.tas.gov.au
West Tamar - www.wtc.tas.gov.au
Tasmania Central Portal - www.tasmaniacentral.tas.gov.au

Attention: Government, Educators, Businesses and Households

Take a look at www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

This is a fabulous website that is full of great ideas to encourage working smarter with our resources. It gives you ideas on topics like…how to start a recycling program, detox your home, gain funding for Zero Waste initiatives and save money on your hot water bills etc.

We love the competition for schools: 2009 ResourceSmart School Awards and the Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge! Nominations are now open and the Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge measurement day is Wednesday 22 July 2009 sign up before then to take part in the Challenge. Completed entries for the 2009 Rubbish Free Lunch Challenge and nominations for the 2009 ResourceSmart Schools Awards are both due by Monday August 24 2009.

With a prize pool of over $50,000, winning schools will win cash and prizes to assist with their ongoing sustainability projects. Finalist schools also have the chance to present at the Kids Teaching Kids workshop and Awards Ceremony in November 2009. The Awards and Challenge are proudly presented by Sustainability Victoria.

Take a look at their website to find out more: www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

Maybe you will need a skip bin for your project??? If so visit www.bookabin.com.au to get an instant quote now!!

Tasmania is one of the most beautiful places and we hope to keep it that way!

What’s happening out there? There seems to be a growing problem with illegally dumped rubbish in forests close to towns such as the plantations at Stoodley and Isandula, and in forest reserves including Dog’s Head and Montana Falls.

Currently, members of the community are being encouraged to play a part in helping to stamp out illegal rubbish dumping following a major clean up of rubbish in North West state forests by Forestry Tasmania in conjunction with the Dulverton Regional Waste Management Authority.

Do your part to help and report rubbish dumping or other illegal activities by phoning Forestry Tasmania on 6424 8388 or Bushwatch on 1800 333 000.

Tasmanian Marine Debris Clean Up Volunteers say more and more rubbish continues to damage coastal and marine species in the area. Ten years on the Surfrider Foundation continues to help clean up the environment.

12 volunteers have just returned from the latest clean up of beaches in Tasmania’s South West Wilderness World Heritage Area with 9,000 pieces of rubbish (that’s about 1.4 ton of waste!). Foreign objects collected for disposal include a Russian hand cream container and a few Korean and Japanese water bottles. They also found a potty! The rubbish is not declining!

So do your part and ensure that when you are making use of our natural surroundings you take your rubbish home to dispose of. Pick up anything else that should be in the bin, to dispose of at home and you are extending the life of the Tasmanian environment.

Well Done!

A report on environmental trends outlines that every Australian creates one tonne of rubbish each year, making the nation the second largest waste creator after the United States. This is a huge amount of waste and it is not always contained and removed correctly.

Clean Up Australia Day has been designed to provide Australians with a focus to get physically involved in cleaning up the rubbish in their environment as well as implementing positive environmental practices in their everyday lives. Volunteers clean up discarded rubbish in areas such as road ways, parks coastal areas rivers and streams to show that the Australian Environment is a priority for the community. Over 4300 areas in total have been attended to, with the most common items found being plastic and glass bottles, soft drink cans and cigarette butts (most of which can be recycled).

If you are interested in helping out, visit www.cleanup.org.au and find out how you can get involved!