Waste Management and Pollution Control
What is waste? A product only becomes waste when we as individuals decide that a product no longer has a use. Waste materials are often made from valuable resources and by sending them to landfill as waste we are not only burying the valuable resources but also using up valuable space in landfill. Where it is economically and technically viable we should be reducing the amount of waste that we produce. This is in keeping with the idea of sustainability; using scarce natural resources more efficiently and reducing the environmental impact of waste.
There are not only environmental benefits but often financial benefits to approaching waste minimisation by:
- avoiding the production of waste;
- reusing the material;
- recycling the material; and
- only disposing of the material as a last resort.
The Environmental Operations and Aquatic Health units of the EPA Program undertake various programs related to waste management and pollution control to sustain the Territory’s environment.
To minimise waste in the Northern Territory the Reuse and Recycling Directory is a useful resource detailing where you can send your unwanted belongings and waste.
The National Pollutant Inventory is an internet database designed to provide the community, industry and government with information on the types and amounts of certain substances being emitted to the air, land and water. One of the objectives of the inventory is to promote waste minimisation, cleaner production, energy and resource savings.
The views expressed in the linked websites should not be considered to be the views of the Northern Territory Government.
