Reduce waste at home

Reduce plastic waste:

• buy soap that’s not wrapped in plastic
• use solid bar products instead of liquids for shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and facewash
• use wooden toothbrushes
• choose natural fibre dental floss instead of plastic
• move away from synthetic based pads or plastic-wrapped tampons to use alternatives such as a menstrual cup, menstrual pants or washable pads.

Compost your bathroom waste, including:

• tissues
• wooden toothbrushes
• bamboo cotton buds
• unbleached cotton balls
• hair nail clippings
• cardboard packaging.

When cleaning:

• choose wooden dishwashing brushes (they can be composted)
• choose reusable cleaning cloths
• cut old sheets and towels into cleaning cloths that can be washed and reused.

When it comes to clothes:

• be mindful about whether you need new clothes
• buy less or buy second hand
• buy quality clothes that don’t date buy natural fibres like cotton or wool, rather than synthetic fabrics (synthetic fabrics create microplastics and don’t break down)
• repair your clothes to get more wear out of them
• gift, sell or swap clothes you no longer need
• give good quality clothes to charity shops if they’re headed for the bin, turn them in to cleaning rags instead.

When food shopping:

• buy food without packaging or items in bulk-sized containers, concentrates or refills
• buy in bulk to reduce how often you go shopping, cutting your fuel bill and carbon footprint
• use reusable cloth bags for fruit and vegetables and refillable containers to buy bulk bin products
• support shops that have low-waste options like refill stations
• if there isn’t an option with no packaging, choose products with recyclable packaging such as paper, cardboard, glass or cans
• if you have to buy an item in plastic, see if it can be bought in plastic types 1 and 2 – these can be recycled.

In the kitchen:

• buy second-hand kitchen equipment from op shops
• make your own meals from scratch to reduce packaging
• reduce food waste by cooking correct portions sizes and eating leftovers the next day or freezing them
• compost kitchen scraps through a compost bin, bokashi bin or outdoor worm farm (or take advantage of kerbside kitchen scrap collections if available in your area)
• recycle – it needs to be clean so rinse tins, plastics and glass before they go in the bin (soft plastics should be clean and dry to drop off at collection points).

Find more great tips from the Ministry for Primary Industries and Love Food, Hate Waste NZ.

Reduce plastic use by:

• storing leftovers in containers with lids, instead of using plastic cling-wrap
• use reusable food wrap
• use empty jars from peanut butter, pickles, coffee, etc., to store pantry items, rather than buying plastic storage containers.

Look after your tools by:

• keeping them clean and dry, and following manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations
• servicing chainsaws, hedge trimmers and lawnmowers, etc., so they last longer.

When you need tools:

• hire or borrow them from a tool library, rather than buying them (especially if you won’t use them frequently)
• if buying, choose high quality ones that will last a long time
• consider electric tools instead of petrol ones to reduce carbon outputs.

Dispose of household hazardous waste properly:

• toxic, corrosive, flammable or explosive material (like engine oil, batteries, paints and garden chemicals) should never go into your rubbish or recycling bins
• check with your local council for disposal options in your area, or ask at your local waste transfer station.

Grow food:

• growing your own salad greens, vegetables and fruits will help you to avoid buying packaged food
• by gardening organically, you avoid buying chemicals and spray gear
• by growing at home, you could also reduce your fuel cost.

Compost:

• compost garden prunings, weeds and leaves in a compost bin, worm farm, bokashi bucket, trenching or a hot compost pile
• kitchen scraps can also be composted or collected by your local district or city council if they provide kerbside food scrap collection in your area.