~War On Waste~
Posted by: snakewoman
12th Jun 2017 12:03am
Declaring War On Waste !
Can you reduce your weekly contribution to Landfill ?
I have reduced my landfill waste so much , I will not have a full 'rubbish' bin for weeks.
I take 100 % of my soft plastics (anything that you can screw up in a ball,bread bags, cheese wrappers,etc) to COLES,and that reduces my waste by 85% ,
I compost all vegetable matter,including paper and recycle everything else.
I donate used stamps,
I recycle batteries at ALDI
I save up empty paint tins to take for recycling
I recycle all aluminium cans and foil
I wash and reuse some plastic bags.
So many ways to stop throwing away items, and not hard to do when you re think the term 'rubbish bin" to "Landfill bin"
Can you too, reduce the amount you send off to landfill ?
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Comments 19
Jenny31376507
Wow so many good ideas on how to reduce waste going to landfills. Though I wonder what you exactly mean by taking soft plastics to coles like how does that work. Do you like walk into the supermarket and dump it in a certain bin or like talk to someone.
June
Hi, I do almost all of these things too but I was interested to know how you donate used stamps as I did not realise this could be done. Where do you donate them. I have only ever put the received envelopes, stamped or not in the Yellow lid recycle bin for Council collection. I compost and also have a smaller kitchen compost bin that uses compostable bags. We also have a worm farm too
snakewoman
Funny you should say that, I want to email my council and ask that I get a sticker on my bin so it can only be collected the first week of any month, that was the garbo knows to collect it or leave it if its after the 1st weeks collection... But, I too doubt they would agree, as they do not care at all for the environment, just about the rate $$$$
June
Hello, thanks for the info, I certainly will Google it to see if there is anything available in my area. Wouldn't it be a good idea if Councils gave us a small rebate for not having to use our bins every time because we have all paid the fees for the weekly or fortnightly collection. It's probably wishful thinking though as Councils just seem to be finding ways to charge Ratepayers more.
snakewoman
Stamps can be donated to the seeing eye dogs Tasmania, the Lions club also take them, there`s a few other places too, if you google 'donate used stamps' there should be several ;)
musicmum
Great to see so many people making an effort, I think the problem is a lot of people are confused with what can be recycled. You can look up what plastics can be taken to the supermarkets for recycling on REDcycle website. I have had to educate myself. The big one is plastic lined paper bags, they are a real pain. Better still try to buy in bulk to avoid so much packaging in the first place. I get annoyed with supermarkets for selling everything in small amounts. I am amazed since I have been sorting my plastics (I have a separate bag for the ones to recycle) how little landfill rubbish I now have. Keep it up everyone!
Teigan
I think reducing our landfill is a great idea.. In my area, instead of alternating the green waste bin and the recycling bin fortnightly during rubbish collection, it now alternates the rubbish and recycling bins.. We are encouraged to put all compostables like pet manure, teabags, food stuffs and used paper towel in there and it is now composted rather than sent to landfill piles, which was a great move by the council to encourage the community to be more conscious.. We also have our vege patches and recycle almost everything we can, especially using old milk/juice bottles for either slow release watering for the plants or as fruit fly traps.. Everyone should do there part, but glad to see those going above and beyond for the environment! :)
snakewoman
one thing, pet manure is not good for compost, as it is meat based, general rule of composting is "If it came out of the ground it goes back,if it walked on the ground it does not"
maybe the local council should omit it from their suggestions
musicmum
They have just introduced the green waste in my mum's area but everyone is concerned there will be a lot of smelly bins in the neighbourhood attracting flies and vermin. And also everyone has to pay more council rates to have them which I think is not fair for a single pensioner.
Liza May
You mention Aldi in your list. Sadly.... Aldi ......in Western Australia .....has yet to expand beyond the one
south of city and out of reach to 80% of population.
Otherwise..................... remainder of your War On Waste list, can be complied with.
frannymanny
I do all of the above too. I really try to avoid packaging as much as possible. I usually do not have anything to put in my rubbish bin and very little in the recycling bin.
helen30692411
Wow, I never new Coles takes the recycling like bread bags and even cheese wrappers. In our area the local township has a green bin for green waste, but I don't have one so the waste has to go elsewhere.
I do wash most of my bags to reuse. Not so much the bread bags, as I didn't know they could be recycled....I make sure all cardboard is flattened to fit into the yellow bin....
We have a business in our town called Make and Do, they take anything that we think is rubbish, toys, papers, cardboard and recycle to other charities. All those little sample packets of soaps, shampoos, conditioner, etc that you get at motels, can be recycled as they make small parcels to give to disadvantaged people.
snakewoman
the Make and Do sounds wonderful, there should be many more like this around
gargar
Very busy helping our environment, well done .
snakewoman
Well, sadly I have a plastic bag holding a broken jar of curry paste,that did not make it to the pantry, it slipped and smashed...so, I have to put that in my landfill bin...
I am positive that we all can reduce our waste by heaps,
I have not needed to take my landfill bin out to be collected in 3 weeks so far :)
gargar
I try to do my best with my war on waste, never throw away food and recycle what I can, but I don't think I am as good as snakewoman, well done.
snakewoman
Thanks gargar, if we all remember it`s a landfill bin, it makes us think before we throw :)
wezo
i know most people want to do the right thing,our bins are only part full every week,our veg. garden is bursting already with all our composting,i hate wasteing any food,but we live near many supermarkets so dont have to over fill the pantry which leads to waste
snakewoman
I grow some veg and herbs too, so much nicer from the garden. I recently planted a bed of chilli`s on my front nature strip,and have perennial spinach seedlings to be planted out there soon, to share with neighbours