Tagged with Sustainable waste management

Helpful Tips for Managing Household Waste

The following article was kindly written and contributed by Briana Jones.

Waste management and waste reduction are pressing issues around the world. With the global population predicted to balloon to 9.7 billion by 2050, it’s imperative that we find ways to minimise waste and manage it properly. If we don’t, we’ll soon be living in a world with more waste than available resources.

Thankfully, there are many ways that individuals and families can contribute to the worthwhile cause of managing and minimising waste. Here are some simple, helpful tips to help manage waste in your Australian home.

Avoid Plastics

Plastic is highly convenient, which is why it’s difficult to give it up completely. Still, you can take baby steps by minimising the use of plastics. In particular, avoid plastic bags as much as you can. Bring your own reusable bags when shopping. If you don’t have disabilities that require the use of a plastic straw, decline it. Are you a coffee lover? Get a high-quality insulated container so you can get your hot or cold beverages to go. A good way to minimise your dependence on plastics is to evaluate where, when, and how you use plastic and make small adjustments there.

Minimise the Use of Paper

Except for a few circumstances, paper is highly recyclable. However, it still remains as one of the most common types of waste to end up in landfills. This means that we also have to be mindful of how we use paper and minimise where we can. Consider unsubscribing to various mailing lists, transact electronically as much as possible, and opt to read online magazines and newspapers (especially if you don’t read cover to cover). If and when available, ask merchants to not print a receipt and send you a verified e-receipt instead. In the kitchen, you might want to switch from using paper towels to rags that you can wash over and over. To up the ante even further, don’t buy the rags but make them from old clothing that aren’t fit to be worn anymore instead.

Hire a Skip for Big Projects

If you need to dispose of a lot of waste, the usual trash bins won’t cut it. Hire a skip instead, so you can better manage both the volume and the variety of rubbish you’re dealing with. With a reliable skip bin provider, you can get the correct skip bin size and type where you can throw in general waste, green waste, bulky and solid fill waste (like rubble or bricks), and recyclable heavy materials like white waste. Once you’re done, just call the skip company and they’ll pick up the bins to ensure that every piece of trash is sent to their correct destinations. If you need to dispose of hazardous materials like chemicals, pesticides, or old vehicle tyres, get in touch with your skip bin provider so they can help you with proper disposal.

Compost What You Can

A lot of kitchen waste like fruit and vegetable peelings and garden waste like leaves and branches can be composted. You don’t even need to dig up a traditional pit to be able to compost. All you need is a heavy-duty bin and you’re all set. If you don’t have a garden of your own where you can use the compost, look around your neighbourhood. There may be homes that need some fertiliser for their plants and flowers. There might even be a nearby farm where you can donate compost and compostable waste.

Recycle or Repurpose

There are plenty of things in your home that, at first glance, might seem like waste but can actually be recycled or reused in some other way. Glass and plastic containers can be used to keep leftovers. They can also be used as storage solutions for various items like craft materials. Printer paper can be turned into scratch paper for your home office. Other possible uses include making grocery lists or as drawing paper for your toddler. Be creative! You can turn to the ever-helpful internet to discover different ways on how to recycle or re-purpose various materials at home.

Buy in Bulk

Most of the things we buy for our home come in different kinds of packaging. From food to bathroom essentials, our household needs come in plastic bags, boxes, or packets. Buying in bulk can help minimise the waste that comes from packaging. Visit the bulk food section in the supermarket where you can buy cereals, rice, spices, and dry foods. You can store these at home using the above mentioned glass and plastic containers. Get large containers of shampoo, liquid hand soap, detergents, and other non-perishable goods and necessities. The more you buy in bulk, the more you can reduce the amount of waste you generate at home.

Donate

If there are items lying around in your home that you aren’t using but are still serviceable, consider donating them instead of just letting them gather dust. Schools, orphanages, churches and religious institutions, and charitable organisations are always looking for donations in kind like clothes, blankets, shoes, books, and even small appliances. Don’t hoard! Unused items take up precious space in your home. Moreover, living amongst clutter can make you sick (allergies, anyone?) and even affect your mood.

Those living a zero-waste or at least a low-waste lifestyle is certainly admirable. However, it’s not easy or even possible for some people. Still, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make the effort to properly manage waste and minimise the amount of waste we generate where we can. Consider these helpful tips to keep your home clean and healthy, and ultimately contribute to protect the planet.

Why More People Should Care About Proper Waste Disposal

Most of us regard the topic of waste disposal as important but rather boring, and we often have an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude towards it. While we Australians are generally strict about sorting our rubbish compared to most countries, we now have a full-blown waste disposal crisis on our hands.

The reasons for it are quite complex and real policy changes will have to be done to solve it. In the meantime, we can further reduce the impact of the crisis by being more dutiful in our rubbish segregation and collection.

Here are just a few reasons to care more about waste disposal and removal:

1.) Much of the waste has a real dollar value

Precious metals, plastics, and compostables are often disposed of in a way that makes recovering them for recycling uneconomical, if not impossible. Unfortunately, when rubbish is not sorted correctly, much of it often ends up in facilities overseas, which causes a wide host of problems. By sorting the rubbish properly for removal, you can help the local economy by allowing local facilities to easily recycle and repurpose your refuse. Why More People Should Care About Proper Waste Disposal

2.) Overseas waste disposal creates numerous problems

One unfortunate thing about how we manage waste in Australia is the fact that the most economical way to dispose of many types of waste is to ship them off to countries in the developing world. Transporting the waste overseas puts out a lot of greenhouse gasses and also creates diplomatic friction that destroys our reputation abroad. Today, there are now many countries refusing to take in waste products, which has caused a backlog in our waste disposal capacity.

While not the sole reason for these issues, improper waste disposal at home is a major reason so much of our waste has to be sent to other countries. Not sorting and disposing of rubbish properly greatly raises the cost of recovering different materials, which often means that the most economical way to recycle unsorted rubbish tends to be shipping it overseas to a country that does have the facilities to economically process the rubbish.

3.) Improper waste disposal can wreak havoc on the environment

This is something that one would think would be ingrained in us as children, especially given Australia’s unique ecosystem. While many positive strides have been made in the way we dispose of rubbish, it is still a very real issue, with about 40% of it ending up in landfills where they will likely never be processed into anything of real value ever again.

Animals, especially birds, often make their way to landfills and piles of uncollected rubbish, which are hotbeds of disease and they can spread rubbish and diseases throughout the ecosystem.

4.) Toxic chemicals from improperly disposed waste can get into our drinking water

Contaminated water supplies are a serious issue in Australia, especially in areas that do not have much freshwater to begin with. This is often the result of improperly disposed mining, agricultural and industrial waste but has also happened as a result of domestic and commercial waste not being properly removed as well. As water is essential to our survival, we must remove dangerous waste properly to ensure that water tables are free from contamination.

5.) Our landfills are already filled to crisis levels

There are only 38 landfills in the entire continent of Australia, with nearly all of them filled beyond their designed capacity. This makes it critical that we can recycle as much rubbish as possible, which means proper disposal and removal is key.

6.) Rotting waste can destroy property values

Uncollected refuse can make it significantly harder to sell or rent out property at rates that you would prefer. Not only that, your neighbours will certainly not appreciate having piles of uncollected rubbish in their vicinity.

Visit Local Rubbish Removal to find professional rubbish removal services close to where you live. All you have to do is give your location and fill in the form to get a free quote of rubbish removal prices from services in your area.

5 Sustainability Tips That Require Minimal Effort

When it comes to going green, many can be overwhelmed with advice to cutting your carbon footprint, including making your own compost, installing solar panels and trading in your petrol-powered vehicle for an economic electric one.

Whilst we advocate for all of the above, we also want to provide you with sustainability tips that are quick, easy and simple to implement into your day-to-day living.

  1. Embrace your fresh local produce

    This is one of the easier sustainability tips to undertake. Opt for a trip to the local farmer’s markets to enjoy fresher (and more flavoursome) produce. Support your local community while saving the amount of CO2 that would have been spent transporting your fruit and vegetables half the way around the world to the supermarket.

  2. Turn off your computer

    We know it’s too easy to leave your PC or laptop idling by in case of a Netflix emergency – but did you know we spend $250 billion per year on powering up computers? To make it worse, only 15% of that time is spent when people are actually active. Put your technology to bed and help the environment (and your electricity bill!).
  3. Limit your paper usage

    With everything moving into the digital world, our need for printing and paper usage is fast becoming limited. Do your part and avoid the use of printing or wasting paper. Yes – even though it’s recyclable, it still requires a lot of time and resources to make that happen. This sustainability tip doesn’t only need to stop in the workplace – don’t print receipts if you’re going to throw them out straight away and avoid unnecessary packaging (including your 15 cent eco bags if you can).
  1. Cut your spending

    We’re all guilty of going overboard with our spending every now and then – but have you ever stopped to think of where your unnecessary clutter will eventually end up? Whether your vice is clothing, homewares or electronic gadgets, it’s important to consider prior to purchasing about the environmental impacts of how this was produced, and what effect it is going to have after you have finished with it. In all cases, one of the easier sustainability tips to utilise the 30-day rule – wait 30 days before you make a decision to purchase what might be considered an impulse purchase.
  1. Cook from scratch

    Yes, this sustainability tip is for the Uber Eats lover in many of us. And it’s really quite simple – the more you order out, the greater your use of packaging, plastics and resources. Save the environment while adding some extra funds to your bank balance and opt for some home cooking. Use your pressure cooker to save even more time, money and energy.

HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS IN SUSTAINABILITY – LESS THAN ONE MONTH TO GO!

Secure your place at the 2019 National Sustainability Conference in Brisbane this April! Check out the program and registration options here.

Tinder for Food: App Shares Leftovers for a Healthier Planet

Too many leftovers from dinner? Vegetables forgotten in the fridge or cans gathering dust at the back of a cupboard? Instead of tossing them out, why not share them with friends and neighbours and care for the planet at the same time?

That is the premise of OLIO, a mobile phone app founded in Britain and part of a wave of businesses using technology to cut waste and help the environment.

OLIO is the brainchild of two women entrepreneurs aiming to tackle food waste, “one of the biggest problems facing humanity today”.

If that sounds sensationalist, Tessa Cook, the company’s co-founder, can rattle off a list of eye-popping statistics to back up her claim.

Globally, one third of all food produced, worth nearly $1 trillion, is thrown away, and in the UK alone, an average family throws away 700 pounds ($945) worth of food each year.

Tinder for Food: App Shares Leftovers for a Healthier Planet

Image: article supplied

All of this is “environmentally catastrophic”, Cook said. Not only does it waste land and water to produce it, when left to rot in landfill, food waste releases methane, a greenhouse gas more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.

“That whole set up is clearly, absolutely bonkers and needs to be fixed,” Cook told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from London.

And since more than half of food waste occurs at home, it also means consumers can be an important part of the solution.

An app was born

Growing up on a dairy farm in Yorkshire in northern England, Cook said she learnt early on how much hard work goes into producing food.

So when removal workers told the former corporate executive to throw away the leftovers in her fridge – sweet potatoes, a cabbage and some yogurt – while packing to move back from Geneva to London nearly three years ago, the seed of an idea grew.

She set out into the street to find someone to give the food to – but failed.

“I thought, ‘This is perfectly delicious food. I know there is someone within 100 metres who would love it. The problem is they don’t know about it’,” she recalled.

When she discovered there were no mobile apps to share food, Cook teamed up with Saasha Celestial-One, an American former investment banker, to launch OLIO, raising $2.2 million from two rounds of investor funding.

Users download OLIO on their phones, create an account and upload a picture and a short description of the food they want to give away, from bananas to fresh herbs to lactose-free baby powder.

This was originally published by Eco Business.

Click here to read the entire article.

We Have a Collective Responsibility to Halve Food Loss and Waste

Despite the central role food plays in all of our lives, we let a great deal of it go to waste. About one-third of all food produced in the world goes uneaten each year—a fact that harms our climate, costs the global economy billions of dollars and strains natural resources like water and land.

Given the enormous impacts, it’s clear why the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals issued Target 12.3’s call to halve food waste and reduce food losses by 2030.

We Have a Collective Responsibility to Halve Food Loss and Waste

Photo: article supplied

But with 13 short years to go, is the world doing enough?

According to a new report from Champions 12.3, the progress is promising. Countries or regional blocs that have set specific food loss and waste reduction targets cover an estimated 28 per cent of the world’s population. At the same time, nearly 60 per cent of the world’s 50 largest food companies have set targets to reduce food loss and waste. More than 10 per cent of the 50 largest companies also now have active programs to waste less food.

Meanwhile, initiatives have taken off in the European Union, United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and in other countries that expand public-private partnerships, government policies and consumer campaigns aimed at reducing food loss and waste.

But it’s not all roses. Only a few countries, accounting for just 7 per cent of the world’s population, currently measure and publicly report on how much food is lost or wasted within their borders.

These latest figures beg the question: Can the world really cut global food loss and waste in half by 2030? The answer is yes—but only if many more governments and companies set ambitious targets, measure this inefficiency and take action to reduce food loss and waste.

To my mind, there are three immediate challenges that require a collective approach.

This was originally published by Eco Business.

Click here to read the entire article.