On Global Recycling Day 2026, Vets for Climate Action is asking every veterinary practice to take a closer look at what's going in their landfill bin.

There is no such thing as 'away'. When we throw something out, it has to go somewhere. And every time it goes to landfill, something of value goes with it — materials that took energy and resources to create, money your practice paid to dispose of them, and opportunities to keep useful things in circulation. What we bury doesn't disappear. It leaks, it gases, it contaminates, and it outlasts us by centuries.

Australia's landfill crisis is a national problem. Every capital city is facing landfill strain or failure. More than 22 million tonnes went to landfill last year alone. Greater Sydney will run out of space by 2030 without action. Melbourne is rushing to incineration. Building new sites means clearing more native habitat. This is not a future problem. It is happening now.

For your practice, the bill is rising. Waste disposal levies are increasing in most states as landfill sites approach capacity. For veterinary practices — generating a complex mix of clinical, pharmaceutical and general waste — this means higher collection costs and more compliance burden. But most of what goes to landfill from a typical practice has value. Cardboard, metals, plastics, organics — these are not rubbish. They are resources your practice already paid for, and that can be recovered. Practices that reduce waste volume and improve sorting are already spending less and doing more.

For ecosystems, the cost is irreversible. Every new landfill site requires clearing native habitat. Vegetation is removed, species displaced, and ecosystems that took centuries to establish are lost in weeks. Australia is already among the world's worst countries for land clearing. Landfill expansion accelerates that damage. The rivers, wetlands and bushland that wildlife depends on are directly affected by where our waste ends up. Unlike a disposal levy, this cost cannot be recovered. Once that land is gone, it is gone.

Recycling is an act of care. Recycling is not just about keeping things out of landfill. It is about recognising that almost everything we throw away still has value — materials that took land, water, energy and money to produce. When we recycle, we keep those resources in circulation, reduce the need to extract new ones, cut greenhouse gas emissions, lower business costs, and protect the habitats and food chains that every living thing depends on. In a veterinary practice, recycling is not an add-on. It is an act of care.

The True Cost of Waste

Leachate — poison underground When waste breaks down, it produces a toxic liquid containing heavy metals, pesticides and ammonia. In unlined or ageing landfills — and many regional sites have no lining at all — this seeps into groundwater, contaminating the rivers, soil and drinking water that communities and native animals depend on. Even modern linings are only designed to last around 30 years. The land — a resource in its own right — may be rendered unusable for generations.

Methane — the invisible accelerant Food waste makes up around half of a typical kerbside bin. In landfill it generates methane — 25 times more potent than CO₂ — contributing roughly 2% of Australia's greenhouse emissions. But food waste in landfill is also a squandered resource: composted or processed through a FOGO service, it becomes a soil amendment that supports agriculture, biodiversity and healthy land. In the bin, it is simply a cost — financial and environmental.

Wildlife — our unintended patients Lightweight plastics scatter from bins and landfill into the natural world. Native animals mistake them for food. Toxic chemicals accumulate in tissue — in fish, birds, reptiles, and the wildlife brought into your clinic. Around 80% of ocean plastic travels there from inland waterways. These are materials that had value — that were manufactured, purchased and used — and then discarded when they still had life left in them. Scientists estimate every person on the planet now ingests around 5 grams of microplastic per week. Our patients are carrying it too.

Land — lost faster than we know Habitat cleared for new landfill is rarely restored. Species are displaced and face competition from introduced pests that thrive in degraded environments. The animals you treat don't exist in isolation from the land around them. Soil health, water quality and vegetation cover all shape the conditions in which Australian wildlife lives, breeds and recovers. Landfill doesn't just consume land — it writes it off.

Good news!

Last year, Australians saved $2 billion by reusing 390 million items — proof that what looks like waste is often just a resource in the wrong place. For every one job in landfill, Australia creates 28 jobs in reuse. Recycling a tonne of paper saves 13 trees, 31,780 litres of water and 4,100 kW of electricity — resources that don't need to be extracted, processed or paid for again. A circular economy keeps materials — and their value — in circulation for as long as possible. Every veterinary practice that sorts well, reduces waste and recovers resources is already part of making it real.