Reduce and reuse
Reduce waste and reuse items whenever possible. Here are some suggestions:
- Some items are wrapped in multiple layers of plastic and cardboard. Consider buying a similar item with less packaging, in bulk or packaged as a concentrate.
- Use a reusable shopping bag or at least minimise the number of plastic bags you need to take your groceries home.
- Give away old clothing and furniture to charitable organisations or to Council’s Recycleworld. There are drop-off areas for Recycleworld at Council’s Redland Bay and Birkdale waste transfer stations. Markets, fairs and garage sales are also ways you can buy or sell second-hand items.
- Donate unwanted goods to someone in need in the Redlands. Join the Redlands Oz Freecycle group and post your unwanted goods online.
- Buy products that can be used many times or repaired. Good examples are tyre retreading, rechargeable batteries, cloth nappies, hankies and cloth napkins, ink pens with refillable cartridges, durable razors, reconditioned furniture and appliances.
- Compost your grass clippings and leaves and use it as a potting mix or source of nutrients around plants. You can make your own compost bins or buy them at your local hardware store or nursery.
- Get into the habit of using both sides of paper. If you use a photocopier or printer, see if it can copy or print on both sides. If not, save the paper and use the blank side for notes or children’s craft.
- Worm farming is a great way to recycle your fruit and vegetable scraps, bread, newspaper, teabags, coffee grinds and eggshells into organic liquid and solid fertilizer for your garden. Worm farm kits can be bought at nurseries or hardware stores or you can make your own using a styrofoam box. A worm farm consumes about 250 grams of fruit and vegetable scraps each day.
- Reverse Garbage makes low cost industrial discards. It operates a large retail warehouse at West End. An amazing variety of interesting and useful discards are available for use by artists, craftspeople, teachers, tradespeople and the general community. Contact them on ph 3844 9744 or drop in at 296 Montague Road, West End. Open Monday to Saturday, 9am – 5pm.