'NEC. New England Connected. News.'SCARLETT FOX
Hi. Scarlett Fox here from Presbyterian Ladies College Armidale. Welcome to New England Connected News. We know that our rubbish goes to the tip, or landfill site. But how have you ever wondered what happens when the landfill is full? Is it just as simple as building a new one? We join Felicity Wren as she discovers what happens when a local landfill site is filled to the brim.
Vision of girl standing next to dumpster
FELICITY WREN
Just like the bin in your kitchen fills up, so too does a landfill site. So what would happen if there was no land fill? Well, think about it. In your house, imagine if you didn't put your rubbish in the bin. Rubbish would be everywhere and you'd be very unhealthy.
Vision of landfill site
FELICITY WREN
A landfill site such as this one is home to rubbish, and lots of it. Landfill is the oldest form of waste treatment, and historically they have been the most commons methods of organised waste disposal. This local landfill site has been Armidale's current site for the past 50 years.
Felicity talks to man in office
DAVID STELLAR
Hello, Felicity. I'm David Stellar, from Armidale Dumaresq Council. I'm the Director of Public Infrastructure, and one of my portfolio areas is waste management.
FELICITY WREN
Do you believe the old landfill could have been extended?
DAVID STELLAR
No. The reason being is that it's… we don't have enough land around the existing landfill.
Vision of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
FELICITY WREN
Armidale is home to World Heritage areas, and the council has stated that they will not support the new development if it causes unacceptable damage to the environment. While council are doing their homework, the catch cry for us all is 'reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.' One initiative the council has taken to reduce the landfill is the City To Soil project.
DAVID STELLAR
You'll know that we started the City To Soil process in the last year. That's where kitchen waste from your household kitchen areas is collected and put into a compostable bag.
Scarlett Fox empties rubbish into a bin, then vision of man in office
SCARLETT FOX
Scarlett Fox here. I'm interviewing Gorm Kirsch — President of Gara Valley Environmental Preservation Association.
GORM KIRSCH
The proposed new landfill is about 15km away from the old one. It's also right next to the World Heritage listed national parks of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
SCARLETT FOX
So, how do you sort your rubbish at home? Do you sort it, or does it all end up in the same bin? If people were to put all their rubbish in one bin, then it's all gonna end up in the landfill, filling it up quicker than it needs to be.
FELICITY WREN
So next time you think it's easier to put your cardboard box in the bin, think about that small act that could make a huge difference in the years to come.
BOTH
Thank you for watching NEC News.