Regardless of how new a city is; it must have an acceptable waste disposal system. A poor garbage management procedure will invariably cause a great many problems for residents and city administrators alike, so it is no surprise that waste management is a hot topic in a modern society like Australia.

With more and more industrial and commercial waste being produced from packaging materials, toxic elements and household usage, managing this garbage is becoming a big headache for administrators. Reuse and recycling is high on the agenda across the country, from local councils to state governments. Every country has varying systems for proper waste management; some make use of private companies, but for many, it’s up to the local administrators to put those systems into place.

Here are some well consider and future-proof systems which could be adopted in Australia.

Moving Away from Traditional Waste Management

Many modern countries are taking steps to get rid of the traditional systems that managed waste. In the past landfill sites were used to bury household, commercial and industrial waste. This is not a sustainable practice, however, because of a lack of space surrounding most of cities, not to mention the need to tear up the countryside to bury rubbish. One alternative to traditional waste management is Waste Categorization.

For years, waste was bundled together and buried in landfill sites without a second thought. But, over the time people started to realise that burying toxic waste, harmful chemicals, and other noxious substances in the ground causes leaks into the environment and poses a threat to public health and safety.

These days, waste is sorted into individual groupings based on their level of toxicity and danger to the environment and public health. Many local councils have handed out recycling boxes which people use to sort their own rubbish.

Different waste groups include:

• Liquid - cleaning products, wastewater, detergents and other materials which turn into liquid waste.

• Solid - regular household waste, garbage and other solid wastes.

• Hazardous - chemicals, flammables, combustibles and other poisonous or toxic materials.

Organic - food waste, grass clippings and other organic materials.

• Recyclable - plastics, paper, cardboard & magazines etc.

Adopting "Zero Waste" Concepts

Zero waste management is a philosophy of recycling and reusing products. The idea is simple; send no trash to landfills or incinerators. To understand Zero waste, it helps to consider nature; in nature, nothing is considered as waste and everything is recycled in the ecosystem.

Practically, achieving zero waste might seem impossible. However, cities like San Francisco and New York are on the verge of accomplishing it. Not so long ago, New York city had a landfill so big that it was said to be visible from space. Even if this is an exaggeration, you can begin to guess just how large it was. Still, with proper planning and precise execution, New York is nearing their goal of achieving zero waste.

On the other hand, Sweden is one step ahead. They burn almost 2 million tons of trash every year, which is converted in their impressive waste-to-energy plants. This drastically reduces landfill waste; in fact, other countries even pay Sweden to take their waste and make use of it in their waste-to-energy system. Sweden actually makes a profit from taking other countries’ garbage!

Thinking Outside the Box

Taiwan’s waste management system makes use of one particularly special technique; their garbage trucks have a sound system attached! Their trucks play classical music, from Beethoven or Mozart, while roaming around the city. Whenever citizens hear the beautiful sound of a Beethoven symphony, right away they know it’s the time to take out their garbage.

Let The Professionals Handle Your Waste

Professional waste management companies provide comprehensive services to take your waste - from domestic to commercial and industrial - and will sort your recyclable materials, solids, liquids and organic foods for you. This process is made easier when people recycle their waste correctly themselves. Many waste management services offer specific collections of materials as part of their rounds. If you’re living in large like Melbourne, you can make use of a skip bin company to speed up the process.

These professional waste collectors can also assist you in sorting the recyclable materials from hazardous waste. Items such as computers, televisions and electronic equipment contain many different parts which need to be disposed of differently. This sorting is an exhausting, and often costly, process due to the labor involved. Special sorting machines exist to aid in the sorting process.

It’s clear that keeping tabs on a city’s recycling level is a strenuous task for the local authorities alone, but with the involvement of its citizens and the additional help of professional waste management services such as Metro Bin Hire, this task can be made significantly easier. It not only provides a boost to the economy in terms of efficiency, productivity but also provides a cleaner environment for all.