Big Australia's rubbish future does not have to go to waste.

Would the concept of waste become obsolete if our garbage had value?

Veena Sahajwalla, who spoke at a Slap Tomorrow forum
 in Shepparton in 2013, says being able to create your own
 materials is "the ultimate empowerment".

Imagine if you could get paid for the things you put in your rubbish, and countries competed to import waste.

Waste is an environmental issue as well as a resource issue, and as Australia approaches 2050 and a population of 40 million, resources will be more valuable than ever.

Will we look back on single-use products as 21st century madness?

That depends on the policy decisions we put in place today, and whether we can transition to a circular economy.

Read the ABC News story by Nick Kilvert - “Big Australia's rubbish future does not have to go to waste.”