Many Australians don't really thing about rubbish disposal, but it has become a huge problem in Australia since the 1970's. Originally, Aboriginals produced very little garbage, and even the garbage they did produce was organic and decomposed quickly. In coastal regions, archaeologists have found piles of debris at Aboriginal campsites, called shell middens, and even there, the only things that have been found are shells, bones and discarded tools. And even when the early Europeans first settled in Australia, they produced very little rubbish because they didn't package foods that didn't need to be packaged, children's clothes were passed down to younger children, things were repaired rather than thrown away, bottles were recycled, food scraps were fed to the dogs or other animals and much of the garbage was simply burnt in backyard incinerators. All the other garbage was put in dustbins, which were later, collected by dustmen, where it was then taken to tips, which were later converted into recreational areas. .
Then since the 1970's, disposable ones, creating much more garbage, have replaced many products, such as tissues replacing handkerchiefs, and plastic drink bottles replacing the glass ones. It is more convenient for take-away stores to have disposable packaging, and that also creates more garbage. Instead of being fed on food scraps, pets are being fed with pet food, creating more packaging, and because of air pollution, many councils have banned backyard incinerators .
Australia's growing population and lack of space of where to put the garbage is also creating a massive problem. People also protest against more holes to be digged because of things like smell, pollution, littering, and generally because the value of their homes would be reduced. It is also very damaging to the environment, and it is the environment many people are not taking enough care of. .
