What you can do

Living Sustainably

Tips

Waste and Recycling

Recycling

Separate your recyclables and use the kerbside recycling system.
Ask your local council about what can and can't be recycled through the kerbside recycling service.
Never put plastic bags, light globes or broken glass into recycling bins - the whole bin will be rejected.
Paper in recycling bins can be ruined by mixing it with other material such as food scraps. At work, separate your bins and educate your workmates about their use.
Australians use more than 3.5 million tonnes of paper each year. Only 11% of Australia's office paper is currently being recycled. (Source: : Visy Website). Nearly 9 out of 10 sheets of office paper are being thrown away. (Source: : Planet Ark November Report 2005). Do an audit of your paper usage and disposal at work. Arrange for a company to collect paper for recycling. You'll find them listed in the 'Yellow Pages'.
Australians throw away more than 18 million cartridges every year. This amounts to over 5,000 tonnes of material, including laser toner cartridges, inkjet cartridges, photocopier toner bottles and drums, that will eventually end up in landfill. Find out how you can recycle your cartridges.
Put glass, cans, plastics and paper into the kerbside recycling system and look for ways to reuse or recycle other goods eg. a garage sale; clothing and furniture to charities.
Find out about your local councils recycling schemes and put a list on the fridge to make sure your household is aware.

Waste

Australians now throw away 3.3 million tonnes of food every year – up to a quarter of the country's food supplies, mainly because we purchase too much. Consider planning your meals and only buy what you need.
Give unwanted items to charity or your local secondhand shop – or get together with your neighbours and have a garage sale.
Do an audit on your unwanted items - could any of these have been avoided by buying differently in the first place?
Always put litter in the bin.
Cover piles of sand, soil or mulch to stop them washing into the drains when it rains.
At work, you can save paper by using email instead of the fax. Don't print emails unless really necessary. Set printers and photocopiers to double-sided printing where possible.
At work you may notice that packaging around office equipment can be a major source of waste. Ask your equipment supplier to take used packaging back for recycling or reuse.
At work, you can reduce paper wastage by purchasing recycled papers. Ask your supplier about what recycled paper or stationery they stock. If they don't have it ask them to get some in or change suppliers.
Clean your paths and driveways - but never with the hose.
An easy way to reduce waste is to compost your food and garden waste at home. It makes great fertiliser for your garden. Anything organic except meat, fish, bones and animal droppings can be composted.
If everyone composted and mulched their greenwaste, we could slash total waste going to landfill by up to a third.
Do you live in a flat and want to start a composting system? Talk to your body corporate about setting up a shared compost bin. Volunteer to manage the system or set up a roster.
Reduce waste by purchasing your fruit and vegetables loose instead of pre-packed in plastic.
Take your own bag when you shop. Refuse plastic bags or ask for a cardboard box.
Many products now come in re-usable or refillable packs. These include deodorants, skin creams, moisturisers, dishwashing liquid and liquid detergents. Keep an eye out for these next time you shop.
Use a worm farm to dispose of kitchen scraps. Their castings are an excellent fertiliser!
Put a notice on your letterbox refusing junk mail.
Animal droppings should not go into the stormwater system. Please clean up after your pet and dispose the droppings in the special bins provided by some councils or take it home and put it in your garden or down the toilet.
When picnicking in the bush or beach, always take a bag to bring your rubbish out with you or use the bins provided.
Discarded plastic that makes its way into the ocean kills thousands of marine mammals every year. Make sure you dispose of plastics in the bin or kerbside recycling system (if labelled as recyclable).
While there is no definitive measure in place, estimates indicate that around 7 of the 24 billion filtered cigarettes sold in Australia every year end up as litter. They are non-biodegradable and may take up to five years to break down. Dispose of butts only in bins or ashtrays.
Encourage children to drink water from the tap, bubbler or bottle, instead of soft drinks and cordials. Remember they will need to drink more when outdoors in hot weather or when active. If you or your children do have a soft drink, make sure you recycle the plastic bottle or can.