Reduce Waste

Anything is considered to be waste when the holder discards it. Examples of waste include:

• Plastic bags and other ‘soft’ plastic packaging
• Glass containers
• Paper e.g. newspapers, paper bags
• Organic waste e.g. vegetable and fruit peelings, food
• Plastic bottles

Greenhouse gas emissions may be generated as part of the production process for the item (e.g. burning oil or gas to produce the plastic container) or in the disposal of the item (e.g. organics decomposing in landfills generating methane). 

I use the following strategies to reduce the amount of waste I generate and therefore the amount of emissions associated with that waste.

Compost organic material

I have several compost bins and a worm farm at home. I ensure that all organic scraps are placed in the compost bin or worm farm, especially the vegetable and fruit peelings. I reduce the food waste I generate through planning meals and ensuring food and leftovers are used. I collect leaves during autumn and they are added to the compost bin as the composting process works so much better with a mix of green and brown organics.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

These three words have been used for years to encourage people to reduce the waste they produce. However, often the emphasis has been placed on Recycling as the most visible aspect of reducing overall waste (e.g. the yellow bins in our houses and on the streets). Problems with the systems for managing recycled goods have been highlighted in recent years by the refusal of China to take waste from other countries and the collapse of schemes such as REdcycle. More emphasis needs to be placed on Reduce and Reuse.

Reduce

The best strategy for minimising the amount of waste is to reduce the number of items I obtain. This involves only buying things I really need. I am not perfect – I still manage to buy items that I then dispose of six months later when I realised that it doesn’t meet my needs. 

I reduce the amount of packaging through the following strategies:

• Shop at a bulk food store, using my own containers
• Refusing carry bags or plastic bags
• Use cafes that have crockery and cutlery instead of a takeaway service
• Wash using a bar of soap (no packaging) instead of buying soap in plastic bottles
• Make my own almond milk

It is important to be aware that plastics can sneak in everywhere. One such example is tea bags which can contain small quantities of plastic. This can be avoided by buying loose tea.

I also refuse items that I don’t need. For example, a straw when offered a drink in a café or a set of bamboo cutlery.

Reuse

I regularly carry the following reusable items as they can help ensure I can reduce the packaging I might otherwise have to waste:

• Reusable shopping bags and produce bags when shopping
• Reusable coffee cup, water bottle, straw and cutlery set
• Reusable bowl to hold leftovers following a meal
• Reusable bread bag in the bread shop

I donate any clothes I no longer need to charity shops so they can be reused. Clothing items that cannot be donated because they have reached the end of their life are generally reused as rags. Similarly, if I find I no longer need an item, I will see if it can be reused. 

Recycle

I regularly:

• Place glass, paper and certain plastic containers in the yellow bin. I am very aware of what is allowed to be placed in the yellow recycling bin (e.g. plastic containers only of type 1, 2, 3 and 5 in my yellow bin). 
• Collect and send plastic lids to Lids for Kids 
• If I have an item that is no longer needed and cannot be reused, I will look at Recyclopedia which provides an A to Z waste sorted guide. It will direct me to where I can recycle items e.g. household batteries can be recycled at OfficeWorks.

I periodically review what is going into my red bin (landfill) and yellow bin (recycling) to see if I can change what I do to reduce the amount going into the bins. In the ideal world, there would be nothing going into these bins each week.