Rubbish removal is something that's often taken for granted by everyday people like you and me. We typically dispose of our rubbish in the bin, empty out said bin in the dumpster, and move on with the rest of our day.

However, a lot of people fail to appreciate the complex logistics behind the entire rubbish removal process. Without this delicate system in place, society as we know it could fall into disarray—literally.

While the idea of putting society's trash in one or more designated landfills surrounding the city is nothing particularly new, there are key processes that differ depending on where you are in the world.

And two such places where these processes differ in ways we'd like to discuss are Ohio and Australia. Whether you're moving from Australia to Ohio or vice versa, knowing the differences between the rubbish disposal methods of these two countries can help you be smarter with your trash.

Let's (dumpster) dive into the key differences between rubbish removal in Ohio and Australia.

Where Does Trash Go in Ohio?

Ohio produced 28.89 million tonnes of trash as of 2020.

According to a 2020 government study, 35.59% of waste disposed of by Ohio locals gets routed to solid waste transfer facilities.

Contrarily, the remaining 64.41% of the rubbish gets directly brought to landfills. The 5 landfills that received the most waste in Ohio (as of 2020) are as follows:

• Rumpke Sanitary Landfill
• Franklin County Sanitary Landfill
• Kimble Sanitary Landfill
• Lorain County Landfill
• Noble Road Landfill

Of the waste about to be transferred, 55% of them ends up getting brought to 10 transfer facilities from a mixture of government and privately-owned junk removal services. These facilities are often situated in metropolitan areas and are as follows:

• Montgomery Co. South Transfer Facility 
• Kimble Transfer & Recycling Facility 
• Morse Road Transfer Facility 
• Jackson Pike Transfer Station 
• Kimble Transfer & Recycling Facility
• Cleveland Transfer/Recycling Station 
• Browning Ferris Industries of Ohio Inc. – Glenwillow 
• Harvard Road Transfer Station 
• Medina County Central Processing Facility

3 Types of Solid Landfill Sites in Ohio

Ohio has three distinct varieties of solid waste landfills: 

1. Municipal solid waste (MSW)
2. Industrial solid waste (ISW)
3. Residual solid waste (RSW)

Each landfill type is designed to serve a specific purpose in managing the state's growing trash needs.

Municipal solid waste landfills can be classified as general-purpose landfill sites for domestic waste. This is a public trash site where most people's trash go. These sites are most commonly used for municipal, commercial, construction waste, debris, and industrial solid wastes.

Industrial solid waste landfills are privately-owned landfills dedicated to holding manufacturing waste. The owners of the landfill are typically the operators of the manufacturing plant, and it's usually the case that only they have access to throw their rubbish there.

Lastly, residual solid waste landfills are captive landfills (owned by private companies) that are reserved for companies working in particular industries. These industries include paper manufacturers, steel makers, and operators of coal-burning power plants, among others.

How Many Landfills Are in Ohio?

In Ohio, there are 38 MSW landfills. In the last year, about 20 million tonnes of waste have been disposed of in this type of landfill.

4 ISW landfills dispose of 354,000 tonnes of trash in Ohio, as of 2020. Conversely, 9 RSW landfills exist, providing a permanent holding place for 3,118,570 tons of waste last 2020.

Most landfills in Ohio are privately owned. The only major exception is Franklin County Sanitary

Landfill—the second biggest Ohio-generated landfill in the state.

Where Does Trash Go In Australia?

While the population density of Australia is lower than that of the US state, the population is still more than double that of Ohio.

This translates to the amount of rubbish produced as well. According to a government report, about 48 million tonnes of solid waste materials get generated each year—20 million tonnes more than Ohio's yearly waste production.

The geographical and demographical differences aren't the only thing that sets these two apart. Australia's waste management system is structured to promote the recyclability and recovery of materials and resources.

The country uses a combination of waste processing technologies—such as transfer stations and resource recovery facilities—as well as enlists the help of rubbish removal services like 1300 Rubbish to ensure that most of the country’s rubbish gets either recycled, reused, or diverted from landfills.

Let's look into these facilities in more detail.

3 Types of Waste Management Facilities in Australia

In Australia, waste is brought to one of three main waste management facilities: 

1. Transfer stations
2. Resource recovery facilities
3. Landfill facilities

Transfer stations are key collection hubs in the waste disposal system, where gathered rubbish is consolidated and compressed into sizable loads for transportation to landfills, often in large quantities.

Resource recovery facilities refer to facilities that sort and discard wastes into reusable, recyclable, and non-recyclable materials for disposal. It's a more modern type of waste management system that helps keep recyclable rubbish away from landfills.

There are different subcategories within the resource recovery facility. The most popular type would be recycling facilities, but thermal waste technologies, alternative waste treatment facilities (AWT), and material recovery facilities (MRF) also fall under this facility’s category.

Lastly, landfill facilities are the go-to for wastes that cannot be recycled or reused. They're the end of the line for most rubbish as they're mostly unsalvageable.

How Many Landfills Are in Australia?

Given the sheer enormity of Australia, there are plenty of operational landfills to ensure that safe rubbish practices are followed throughout the country. The figure totals 1,168 landfills, including both licensed and unlicensed landfill.

The area with the most landfills is New South Wales, having a little less than a third of landfills in Australia. The other jurisdictions that take up a higher share of landfills are Queensland, West Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, and Victoria.

The Woodlawn landfill is the most waste-laden site in Sydney, receiving a large percentage of the 5 million tonnes of trash the city produces annually. In Brisbane, this title goes to the Rochedale landfill, with a yearly waste intake of about 1 million tonnes.