Avoid waste
How can I avoid waste at home?
- only buy what you need, make a shopping list and stick to it
- say no to single-use items (coffee cups, straws, bottled water, plastic bags)
- buy products with less packaging or recyclable packaging
- buy in bulk, and refill and reuse containers
- buy second hand or swap goods
- repair rather than replace
- buy products made from recycled materials
- buy products that last and can be repaired, which is often cheaper in the long-run
- choose energy and water efficient products
- take reusable bags when you go shopping
- compost your food scraps and green waste at home, or use Council’s Food and Garden Organics Bin
- responsibly recycle and dispose of household and office items
For more advice on how to avoid waste see the Zero Waste for a Week Challenge
How can I avoid food waste at home?
On average, Australians waste 1 shopping bag of food per week. Unless it is composted at home, this food either goes to landfill or gets turned into compost after being placed in Council’s Food and Garden Organics Bin. Either way this is a great waste of food, as well as all the resources that went into producing, processing and transporting it.
For tips on how to reduce food waste at home, including the importance of shopping lists, recipes for using up surplus food, and food storage tricks, visit Sustainability Victoria’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign.
Find out about other waste reducing actions you can take as a resident or worker in Merri-bek. Visit the Zero Carbon Merri-bek website for more.