Living in a PLASTIC FREE WORLD
It is estimated that the average Australian produces 1.5 tonnes of waste in a year with much of this household waste avoidable – like plastic packaging and food waste. Waste that is not recycled or reused ends up in landfill. Landfills produce methane gas caused by decomposing organic waste which contributes to global warming. Any potentially hazardous material dumped in landfill can also leach through into the surrounding soil and nearby surface and ground water.
And if this waste isn’t dumped in a bin but left lying around, it has the potential to enter our waterways. It has been predicted that by 2050 there will be more tonnes of plastic in the ocean than tonnes of fish! But reducing plastic is only just the start. It’s time to go Zero Waste! So what IS Zero Waste?
It’s where we reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send what you can to be recycled and compost what we cannot, with the aim to send nothing to landfill. Going Zero Waste will help reduce the environmental threat to our planet plus save us money in the long term.
Here are several ways you can have a Zero Waste lifestyle:
Place reusable bags by the front door, so you will remember to take them shopping or ask for a recyclable cardboard box.
Do a bin audit. That's a fancy term for looking in your rubbish and recycling bin and seeing what you throw away. Which are the biggest offenders? Which will be the easiest things to switch? Make notes, so you're ready to look for alternatives when you go shopping.
Check your grocery receipt and see if there's anything there that you could make rather than buy. For example, you could make your own simple coleslaw, or if you have a blender, you can whip up dips in a couple of minutes, plastic-free.
Ask your butcher/deli/fishmonger to wrap meats straight in paper if you don't have your own containers and ask for fresh bread to be placed in paper bags.
Buy fresh vegetables not wrapped in plastic, order a box of fruit and veg from a local delivery company or shop at your local farmers market with your uber cool shopping trolley!
Refuse single use plastics such as straws, takeaway cups or utensils. Swap plastic straws for reusable stainless-steel straws, take your reusable coffee cup to the café and always have a spare fork in your bag or car.
Use beeswax and resin coated cotton or washable cotton sandwich wraps to replace cling film.
Switch from liquid soap to bar soap which you can buy without packaging.
Swap beauty products which contain plastic beads for a face and body brush.
Start a compost bin which is much easier than you think! With a simple compost heap, you can recycle most of your organic household and garden waste and enrich your garden’s soil at the same time.
Mojo Health recently participated in Plastic Free July which aims to raise awareness of the environmental problems caused by single-use disposable plastic and challenges people to do something about it. We now encourage our customers to use our recycled cardboard boxes or purchase reusable hessian or recycled plastic bags to save single use plastic.
Change is never easy, and it takes time to form new habits. So start step by step on your waste free journey and don’t give up! It gets easier the longer you go Zero Waste. Imagine the impact on our environment if we could all become Zero Waste?
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