How to Reduce your Waste!

Reduce your rubbish

The most environmentally sound way to manage waste is to create less in the first place! You can minimise waste in your home by following the 4 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Recover.

R educe
Train yourself to only buy products you REALLY need, and that have less packaging and a longer life-span.

Reuse
Find alternative uses for everyday items such as cardboard boxes, plastic containers and plastic bags. Donate your unwanted household goods or clothes to Charities so that others can reuse them.

Recycle
Look at ways to recycle a used product into a new one and take advantage of your council and workplace recycling programs. Recycle your food waste to make great compost for your garden.

Recover
Learn to recognise what may be a potential resource, and look for products made from recycled materials. This also helps to boost the market for the recyclable materials you put in your recycling bin!

What can I do?

By following these tips, you will help conserve our natural resources and reduce the impact of landfill on our city's environment

  • Shop smart:
    Look for goods that have minimal to no packaging
    Close the loop - buy products made from recycled materials to help support the market for recyclables. 
    Look for products that can be reused or recycled, and products that will last a long time
    Only buy the things you really need
    Don't buy disposable products, such as plastic plates and plastic bags
    Buy refills rather than products in new packaging
    Take your own shopping bags to the supermarket 
  • Recycle your electronic waste - take your old electronic equipment (including TVs, computers, toasters, CDs, DVDs, printers, keyboards, scanners, mobile phones, batteries, DVD players, speakers, cameras, joysticks, electronic games and toys, cassette, video tapes) to:
         Beyond Waste Recycling
         5/79 Miles Grove
         Seaford
         Ph: 0401 614 902
  • Safely dispose of Chemicals at Detox Your Home disposal points: Mornington Peninsula Waste Disposal Centre (1300 850 600) and Casey Transfer and Recycling Centre (5996 4022) accept old paint, motor oil, car batteries, household batteries, fluorescent tubes/globes and BBQ gas cylinders free of charge for safe disposal and recycling. 
    Visit our Detox your home page for further information 
  • Recycle and Compost everything that you can! Visit www.recyclingnearyou.com to find where you can recycle or safely dispose of items locally.
  • Invest in a compost bin, worm farm or Bokashi Bucket. Over half of the household garbage Australians throw away is kitchen or garden waste. Making it into compost can improve soil structure by adding nutrients and useful bacteria, helping plants grow better with less water. It also reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from landfill. 
    Visit our How to Compost page for further information
  • Utilise Council's Garden Waste service for garden clippings and prunings. Contact Council on 1300 322 322 or visit our Garden Waste page for more information.
  • Reuse packaging and products such as glass jars, plastic containers and paper and plastic bags to store food. 
  • Donate no longer wanted goods to charity. Some charities also offer a pick up service. Visit our
    Charity Donations page for more information.
  • Refuse junk mail (put a NO JUNKMAIL sticker on your letter box)

Useful links

Page updated Wednesday, 11 January 2012   Was this information useful?