<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/sydney" rel="" target="" title="Sydney"><span>Sydney</span></a><span> could be heading towards a waste disaster, with reports showing that landfill spaces could reach capacity by 2030 unless action is taken.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has warned that without new solutions, landfill capacity will be reached within the next five years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If not prevented, the issue could significantly increase waste management costs for households and businesses, as waste would need to be transported to regional areas for disposal.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/two-stabbed-merrylands-railway-station-sydney/0195699a-d352-4058-bd01-9a1f3edd6add" target="_blank"><strong><span>Two men stabbed in daylight on platform at Sydney train station</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The EPA warns that the added costs will put additional pressure on households already experiencing the cost-of-living crisis and could slow down infrastructure development.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Research found that between 2015-16 and 2022-23, total waste across NSW rose to 22.4 million tonnes, a 19.4 per cent increase.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On average, each person in the state contributed to 2.7 tonnes of waste in 2022-23.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-landfill-space-will-run-out-by-2030/c676d156-007e-49d1-a011-bd08e530f9c0" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The chief executive of Australia's longest-running reuse education centre, Reverse Garbage, said the solution is a large-scale shift towards creative reuse as opposed to recycling.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Recycling is an energy-intensive, emissions-heavy industrial process that often fails to justify its cost," Kirsten Junor said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"In fact, recycling just one plastic bottle requires up to seven times more water and the equivalent of 250 grams of CO₂ compared to simply reusing an existing bottle. At scale, this makes recycling an expensive illusion of sustainability," she added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Recycling is an industrial process that breaks materials down. It uses energy and creates emissions. Reuse is immediate, low-impact, and centres creativity. We should be using what we already have," said Junor.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>