Household waste – how to throw out less and save more.

If you’re in Australia, you might have recently caught the new doco on the ABC network, War on Waste.

Craig Reucassel hosts a three-part series, on a mission to see if Australia, as one of the most wasteful nations on the planet, can reduce its waste.

The doco illustrates just how much food, fashion and homewares are being thrown to landfill every year in Australia.

By making small changes in our everyday habits, we have the chance to change some of these behaviours in order to save the health of our environment and precious resources such as water and soil that we sometimes take for granted.

Here are a few tips for how you can cut down your household waste…

Fixing your coffee fix

Link to article By Justin Bonsey

Ditch the disposable coffee cup and treat yourself to a re-usable piece of ultra-modern glassware. We recommend the cute and convenient keep cup.

Approx. 28 disposable coffee cups are used in Australia every second.

#BanTheBag – let’s do this!

Link to article By Andy Marks

Have you ever put one cucumber or a handful of nuts into a plastic shopping bag? What a waste!! Try taking some reusable bags shopping with you next time. We recommend Onya Life Reusable Produce Bags.

Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute. 46 percent of plastics float (EPA 2006) and it can drift for years before eventually concentrating in the ocean gyres. It takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade.

ref. ecowatch.com

Clothes swap

Link to article By Amanda Hoh

Tired of the clothes in your wardrobe? Why not try a clothes swap? Search in your local newspaper or social media pages for clothing swaps happening near you. Planning to buy recycled or pre-loved clothing could potentially put a massive dent in the amount of clothing waste that is sent to landfill.

Australians are one of the biggest fashion wasters in the world, throwing out up to 30 kilograms of clothing a year per person.

Live a plastic free life

Link to article By Hannah Walmsley

Start to draw attention to the amount of plastic you use around your home. Things like plastic cling wrap can be replaced by these cute beeswax covers that will last up to 1 year instead of 1 use.

Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste is washed into the ocean each year according to research published in the journal Science.

Reducing what you buy

Link to article By Amanda Hoh

  • Be conscious of over-buying, over-cooking and over-eating.
  • Check your pantry before you go shopping.
  • Make a shopping list and only buy what you need.
  • Try to buy unpackaged food. It is healthier for you and the environment!
Every year households throw out 345 kilograms of food — the equivalent of about three full fridges — while individuals discard up to 20 per cent of their purchased food, according to NSW Government data.

*This post contains affiliate links. Read more about our disclosure policy here.

Katie Gannon
info@ecofriendly-fashion.com

After running an ethical fashion label for 5 years, I started this blog in 2007 after learning first hand about the importance of sustainability in fashion design. I am a passionate environmentalist and wish to promote individuals and organisations around the world working on innovative design. I have a BA in Communications / Media as well as a Cert IV in Clothing Production, and run my own graphic design company at www.katiegannon.com

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