Episode summary
Over 2018-19 Aussies generated a whopping 76 million tonnes of waste. How Australia deals with its trash has become one of the biggest sustainability issues of today. Yet when we hear the word ‘sustainability’ we tend to think of boujee brands with beautiful instagrams and crazy price tags. Can the rise of recycling, refurbishing, and reusing put those perceptions to bed and actually save us $$$? The Oiyo team sits down with Clean Up Australia’s Pip Kiernan, and Matt O’Connor, Founder of Frank Mobile, to sift through the rubbish.
Credits: This episode has been produced by Katie Douglass with help from Kellies Amos. Edited by Kellie Amos with help from Angelica Silva, graphics by Gabriel Mendoza and David Tran.
References
- Ahmed, S.F. (2016). ‘The Global Cost of Electronic Waste’. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/the-global-cost-of-electronic-waste/502019/
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2020). ‘Waste Account, Australia, Experimental Estimates’. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/environment/environmental-management/waste-account-australia-experimental-estimates/latest-release
- Chang, C. (2019). ‘Australia’s reliance on sending waste overseas for recycling is fuelling a crisis in the industry’. https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/australias-reliance-on-sending-waste-overseas-for-recycling-is-fuelling-a-crisis-in-the-industry/news-story/2921f34b88adcc7ad8925ca9430367ad
- Clean Up Australia. (2020). ‘E Waste’. https://www.cleanup.org.au/e-waste
- Clean Up Australia. (2020). ‘Clean Up: The 2019 Rubbish Report’. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/ed061800/files/uploaded/NATIONAL_Rubbish%20Report_2019.pdf
- Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment. (2020). ‘National Plastics Summit 02 March 2020 – Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAYimhEDPtc
- Mundada, M.N., Kumar, S., Shekdar, A.V. (2004). E-waste: a new challenge for waste management in India. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 61 (3), 265-279. doi: 10.1080/0020723042000176060
- Westervelt, A. (2012). ‘Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment?’. https://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/04/25/can-recycling-be-bad-for-the-environment/?sh=73e4fcd93bec
- Wheeler, K. (2019). ‘Is there any point in recycling?’. https://theconversation.com/is-there-any-point-in-recycling-109550
About our guests
Pip Kiernan
Pip Kiernan is the Chairman of Clean Up Australia, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to environmental conservation.
Founded in 1989 by Pip’s father, Ian Kiernan, Clean Up Australia is the nation’s largest community-based environmental event. Since its inception, more than 18 million Aussies have participated in Clean Up Australia Day and collected more than 380,000 ute loads of rubbish.
To find out more about Clean Up Australia, head to their website.
Connect with Pip on Linkedin.
Full interview
Matt O’Connor
Matt O’Connor is a Brisbane-based entrepreneur and the founder of Frank Mobile, an online platform that sells premium refurbished iPhones in Australia.
To find out more about Frank Mobile, head to their website.
Connect with Matt on Linkedin.
