Perth City Council’s Strategy to Avoid Liquid Waste Dumping

The liquid waste disposal problem is not as far removed as some might think. In fact, if the city of Perth is anything to go by, the reality is the exact opposite – we continue to be awash with industrial chemicals and their wastewater. The solution to this problem has been found – it’s just a matter of making it happen.

liquid waste removal perth

According to the council’s 2020 Waste Management Plan, the primary goal of its waste management is to ‘reduce or eliminate the volume of liquid waste removal Perth which will be generated in Perth in the coming years’. The plan clearly states that this would help keep the amount of waste reduced.

But, what exactly constitutes liquid waste? Is it a physical liquid waste, one that is made up of water, solids, gases, all mixed together?

According to Waste Management the liquid waste can either be solid, liquid, or semi-solid. Solid waste is a solid substance that contains liquid. Liquid waste can be anything from sewage sludge, effluent, sewerage, greywater, industrial wastes, oily residues, and odors.

Semi-solid material is a mixture of substances, which can vary from solid, liquid, or semi-solid. This material could include sawdust, paper, garden waste, as well as industrial wastewater.

Solid waste includes anything that you would call solid; most commonly plastics and certain types of rubber, along with Styrofoam, vinyl, or polyethylene. Semi-solid materials include clay, gravel, tree bark, peat, corn, fuel, wood, and dry leaves.

Semi-solid waste also includes non-combustible material, such as plastic bags, paper bags, glass, Styrofoam, cardboard, pallets, plastic containers, newspapers, rolls of carpeting, empty coffee cans, and waste from washing machines. All of these materials are important to us, because they are used for everyday living.

However, when a solid waste source spills, breaks down or decomposes, this material is not necessary to be disposed of in a landfill. It is likely that many different types of solid waste might also need to be treated, depending on their density and how much of them is present.

The City of Perth waste management plan refers to as waste as being either solid or liquid. So, that means when you talk about solid waste and how the council deals with it, you have to look at the different types of solid waste that could be involved, including the different densities, which would mean you are looking at how much of each item is present.

As an example, if you were to check out your home, kitchen, or laundry, the majority of it would be solid, that is, it would be dry, whereas some of it would be semi-solid. If you were to break the room down into its constituent parts, the level of waste would have to be assessed accordingly.

The council’s waste management plan for the City of Perth is clear and they have clearly identified the risks. If we want to reduce the amount of waste our community generates, then we need to get better at dealing with the various forms of waste that are currently in the system.