Waste in Southland
In 2006, each person in Southland disposed of over 581 kilograms of waste to landfill
What happens to our waste?
Disposing of waste is difficult and costly. Much of our waste ends up buried in our regional landfill and the remainder is reused or recycled. In 2006, Southland disposed of 55,000 tonnes of waste to the regional landfill. In a Landfill, rubbish is dumped, bulldozed, squashed and covered with layers of soil and more waste.
How do I get rid of my rubbish/recycling?
Contact your local Council office to find out what's happening with rubbish and recycling in your area and how they can help you reduce your rubbish:
Our Waste Stream
Southland's waste(rubbish) is disposed of at the Southland Regional Landfill. In November 2007, a study was done at the regional landfill to answer the question - What is in our waste? The results are as follows:
- Almost half (42%) of the waste to landfill in the region is compostable i.e. food scraps, organic material, garden waste, kitchen waste
- Timber is the second largest material in the landfill at 11.1%
- Combined Paper and Plastic make up 21% of the materials found in the site (Note: paper and plastic are both recyclable)
Machinery working on the Southland Regional Landfill
Table: Primary Compositon of the Overall Waste to Southland Regional Landfill (November 2007)
| Primary Category | % of Total | Tonnes per Week |
| Organic Material | 42.1% | 466 T/wk |
| Timber | 11.1% | 123 T/wk |
| Paper | 11.0% | 122 T/wk |
| Plastics | 10.2% | 113 T/wk |
| Rubble | 5.9% | 65 T/wk |
| Ferrous Metal | 5.0% | 55 T/wk |
| Glass | 4.3% | 48 T/wk |
| Textiles | 4.3% | 48 T/wk |
| Nappies & Sanitary | 3.8% | 42 T/wk |
| Potentially Hazardous | 1.1% | 12 T/wk |
| Non-Ferrous Metal | 0.7% | 8 T/wk |
| Rubber | 0.5% | 6 T/wk |
| Total | 100% | 1,107 T/wk |
What can I do?
There are many simple things you can do to reduce rubbish at home, at work or at school that will make a difference
Δ Read through the Bite Library of Waste Tips
Δ Recycle all that you can
Δ Get involved: Clean Up Week
