How can we empower Brisbane residents to tackle climate change by reducing the waste they generate?

Teams are encouraged to develop business ideas, concepts and creations that provide Brisbane resident's with solutions to manage their waste using the top two tiers in the waste hierarchy; Avoid, Reduce and Reuse.

Challenge context

Australia is the world’s second largest producer of waste with the average person producing 2.1kg of waste per day with Queenslanders unfortunately exceeding this figure with the average Queenslander producing 2.3kg of waste each day. Yes these figures are shocking but exactly what do they mean for our environment?

The climate impact from the waste industry comes primarily from methane generated from the breakdown of waste in landfills. And although you may not be familiar with this greenhouse gas you should know that methane is 84 times more potent than CO₂ over a twenty year period which means that every tonne of methane traps as much heat in our atmosphere as 84 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gas emissions are also associated with the production and distribution of the items that we end up throwing away. So reducing waste and using resources more efficiently can also reduce these ‘upstream’ emissions.

So, we now know that Queenslanders produce tonnes of waste and this waste has serious consequences for our climate.

What now?

Well the good news is that where there are large volumes of waste there are economies of scale, and scale is essential in creating a circular economy. A circular economy is an economic performance based model that relies on system wide innovation to create social, environmental and economic capital In a circular economy resources are kept at their highest value at all times and this economic model provides an alternative to the linear ‘take, make, use, dispose’ model that our society currently operates within.

On another postive note, there is a growing demand from Brisbane residents seeking ways to reduce their personal waste. Businesses that have targeted this niche have found great sucsess in our city. So the time is right for novel solutions to thrive.

Looking at household waste, there are a variety of areas to explore. Waste streams to divert from landfill can include, but are not limited to: 

• Green waste
• Organic waste
• Co-mingled recycling
• Paper and cardboard
• E-waste (electronic and electrical)
• Hard rubbish
• Textile waste

The waste cycle begins with generation, then collection and finally disposal. While many people traditionally focus on disposal there are also opportunities to avoid waste by focussing further up the waste cycle. Participants can explore whether they can find business opportunities in avoiding the generation of waste through reuse or by reducing purchases in the first place.

Challenge description

How can we empower Brisbane households to tackle climate change by reducing the waste they generate? This is the hot topic that will form the challenge for the 2018 Brisbane Climathon.

Teams are encouraged to develop business ideas, concepts and creations that provide Brisbane residents with solutions to manage their waste using the top two tiers in the waste hierarchy; Avoid, Reduce and Reuse.

Business ideas generated in response to this challenge should consider the challenges and opportunities unique to Brisbane and seek to reduce waste to landfill and maximise the associated climate benefits.