The regional grants were designed to assist councils to improve landfills and reduce their impact on the environment. So, with more than $3 million in the fourth round, Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has invited this region’s councils to apply for a share to improve their rural and regional landfills.

Councils may apply for grants under two streams; the first available to consolidate and close landfills and establish transfer stations and the second for improvements to landfills and existing transfer stations, including fencing and security measures.

But these figures are miniscule when compared to the global problem. 

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UNSW researcher Prof Veena Sahajwalla said the problem would only get worse unless humanity recycled its garbage more efficiently, and she is working hard to do just that.

"With the world's population expected to be somewhere between 7.6 and 9.8 billion by 2050, the earth’s resources need to be preserved and re-used, not put in landfill or incinerated,” Prof Sahajwalla said.

“There is much that can be done right now given that scientifically-developed, proven methods are currently available through our green microfactory technology.

“Rather than export our rubbish overseas and to create more landfill, green microfactory technology has the potential to enable small- and large-scale creation of newly manufactured products instead.”

Researchers at UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) led by Prof Sahajwalla, have scientifically reformed common waste items using prototype technology developed for a laboratory-scale ‘green microfactory’ to be launched this year.

The team managed to turn old clothing and textiles into high-end composite building products such as flat panels, with a wood veneer or a ceramic-style finish.

Work with textiles followed a related research exercise that converted used glass into high-quality ceramics, suitable for benchtops and tiles in kitchens and bathrooms in all sorts of sizes, colours and finishes.

Converting old clothing and mixed waste glass into various high-quality building products represents a new way to convert low-value waste into high-value products and materials.

Prof Sahajwalla said green microfactories could not only produce high performance materials and products, they also eliminate the necessity of expensive machinery, save the environment from extraction of materials and reduce the waste burden.

Recent UNSW consumer research showed most did not believe waste materials they put out in their recycle bins was actually recycled but ends up in landfill, with 91.7 per cent of people saying is it very or somewhat important for Australia to invest in technology to ‘reform’ most common waste to reduce landfill.

Prof Sahajwalla said a major impediment to their new solution addressing the waste problem, was getting the technology commercialised and into the market. She thought without government incentives to attract industry and change behaviour, progress would be slow.

In total, Australia produces nearly 65 million tonnes of industrial and domestic solid waste each year, but it is cheaper to import than recycle glass here.

In the mean time, councils granted funding must commence their projects this year and complete them by 2021. Applications close on Thursday, March 14.