Experts are calling for significant behavioural change to prevent a waste crisis in Australia created by population growth and the popularity of new consumer products.
David de Rothschild, the renowned environmentalist behind the Plastiki boat made almost entirely from plastic bottles, and Dan Hill, senior consultant at Arup, last week led a multi-sector discussion on waste, sustainability and design.
To celebrate the arrival of The Plastiki Expedition in Sydney, David joined Arup and some of Australia’s waste industry, environmental, urban strategy, architecture, design, government and media experts to look at practical solutions to the problem of waste management.
David spoke about the importance of reframing the concept of waste, saying "there is no such thing as waste. We are just ignorant of the value of resources." He also urged the use of imagination and storytelling to drive popular support for environmental measures.
Dan Hill developed this theme, talking about the need for design to think about influencing the behaviour of citizens, alongside governmental and industry measures.
He asked attendees to consider using tools from popular culture, and spoke about an upcoming project to develop a reality TV show designed to engage viewers in more sustainable ways of living.
Emma Synnott, Arup’s sustainable cities expert, talked about learnings from initiatives in London, including the drive to create sustainable urban agriculture and a recycling initiative that should help rescue 65,000t of waste from landfill each year.
Further key recommendations included:
- Reorganising Australian culture to encourage the reuse of resources.
- The promotion of ‘heirloom’ products designed to last a lifetime.
- Thinking in the long rather than short term when designing policy, using at least a 40 to 50 year timeframe.
- Recognising consumers’ natural inertia when designing sustainability initiatives, for example by legislating for people to opt out rather than in to using green energy.
The clear message was that sustainability leadership needs to come from all sectors – government, private and not-for-profit – in order to develop practical solutions to the challenges of waste management.
David de Rothschild of Adventure Ecology sailed the Plastiki boat, constructed almost entirely from plastic bottles, from San Francisco to Sydney to draw attention to the growing problem of waste and the message that action is needed today.