This is an item of protective headwear used by the first Australian Space Waste Agency in 2035. After China stopped accepting Australia’s recycling waste in 2017, and reports surfaced that recycling material was being dumped into landfill, people became sceptical and eventually stopped sorting waste altogether.

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By 2035 waste management had reached a crisis point and governments were forced to follow the lead of United States and shoot waste pods into space.

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In 2037, a malfunctioning waste cannon meant that pods did not reach an orbiting altitude and instead fell to earth, landing in Perth, Western Australia.

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This event was known as the “Waste Shower of 2037” and involved more than 300 fatalities and $15 million of property damage. The Waste Shower was also also blamed for Western Australia’s decision to secede in 2038.