Waste Reduction Tips
Waste reduction tips:
- Buy items that can be used more than once and avoid disposable items
- Try composting or wormfarming
- Buy items with recyclable packaging, recycled content and reduced packaging
- Remember to use your freezer for leftovers
- Write a shopping list and stick to it
- Buy fresh food and fruits loose to minimize packaging
- Take your own bags shopping - avoid plastic bags
- Say no to unwanted junk mail
- Dispose of items responsibly. Placing items such as car batteries into the garbage bin can contaminate groundwater and compromise human health
- Explore positive environmental actions on the Planet Ark website
- Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle
See other recycling and disposal options for items which can be recycled or cannot be placed out for collection in the normal household garbage service. These include batteries, mobile phones, paints and chemicals, computers and televisions.
Plastic Bags Are Our Biggest Problem
Plastic Bags are not recyclable through the household recycling service.
Please do not place recyclables inside a plastic bag.
Do not place plastic bags in the recycling bin or the garden organics bin.
An average of half a million shopping bags are collected every year on Clean Up Australia Day.
Saying 'No' to plastic bags is easy. When shopping, take reusable alternatives like "green bags", calico bags, string bags, baskets or boxes with you.
Find a local supermarket that offers plastic bag recycling the next time you go shopping.
Note: The REDcycle Soft Plastic Recycling Program has been suspended indefinitely.
Our Shire's Streams and Waterways
Sea birds die every year around the world as a result on plastic litter. When the animal dies and decays the plastic is free again to repeat the deadly cycle.
Report Abandoned Shopping Trolleys
If you spot a dumped or abandoned trolley there are a number of simple ways to report your sighting so the trolleys are returned to their bays and kept off our kerbs and out of our reserves.
Help reduce waste – report an abandoned or lost trolley using:
Trolleytracker
(Woolworths, Target, Big W, Dan Murphy’s, IGA, Masters)
Report wayward trolleys anytime online or make a free call to Trolley Tracker™ on 1800 641 497
Every report gives you an entry in the draw to win monthly cash prizes.
Coles
Coles ask residents to report abandoned trolleys using their Abandoned Trolley Form, by calling 1800 Trolley (1800 876 553) or via email 1800Trolley@coles.com.au
Living Leaner
Australians currently spend $5 billion a year on food that we buy, but don't eat. As a result we send three million tonnes of food waste to landfill every year.
If you want to save heaps go to foodwise.com.au or www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au to learn how.
Living Greener
Visit YourEnergySavings.com.au to find out about:
- how you can live in a more sustainable way
- how to use less energy and water
- how to create less waste
- how to use smarter transport
This site will give you step-by-step guides and tips for ways to use less energy and water, reduce waste and travel smarter. There is also information on rebates, grants and loans. These are available to help with the initial cost of practical solutions.
Online Catalogues
Most major retailers and brands now have their catalogues published on their website. They may also be online catalogue sites such as www.cataloguecentral.com.au.
Online catalogues are a free, convenient and paperless alternative to see what your favorite stores are selling.
Cloth vs Disposable Nappies
Every day in Australia and New Zealand alone, approximately 3.75 million disposable nappies are sent to landfill.
This represents great expense not only for the families purchasing disposable nappies but also for the environment.
There are now many ‘modern’ cloth nappy products on the market designed to reduce these expenses.
Environmentally, it takes more raw materials to make disposables than cloth nappies. They also have an obvious impact on waste disposal and landfill.
‘Modern’ cloth nappies are easier to use than ever and can offer significant financial savings for growing families. Using cloth nappies also reduces the amount of waste from the use of disposables.
Brands such as those below offer a range of ‘modern’ and stylish cloth nappies:
Unwanted Phone Books
With directories such as the Yellow and White Pages now online, hard copy telephone directories are becoming less frequently used in many households.
By visiting directoryselect you can cancel unwanted hard copy directories you no longer want or need, saving the resources required to print and distribute these unnecessarily.