Living a Waste Free Life

Did you know that Australia is ranked 5th in the world for generating the most municipal waste in the world.  Our waste is growing at double the rate of our population with 52 mega tonnes generated a year.  

And those takeaway coffee cups, did you know they are lined on the inside with a plastic film, making them hard to recycle.  With one billion ending up in landfill a year, it is fast becoming a major pollution hazard and the second largest contributor to litter waste after plastic bottles.

Countries such as Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, France, Italy, Kenya, Morocco and Tanzania are just some on a long list of countries with national plastic bag bans. Australia is not on the list, well not yet!!

So in place of takeaway coffee cups, take a reusable one - I love my KeepCup! Get rid of cling wrap and replace with beeswax or vegan wood wraps or reusable sandwich wraps/pouches. Replace plastic bags with reusable shopping bags and organic cotton reusable produce bags. Take your own takeaway plate, container or stainless steel thermos container to cafes and restaurants. Purchase your food in bulk with your own glass jars and containers, and carry your own reusable water bottle, I love my double insulated stainless steel one that keeps my water cold all day long. Purchase fresh bread and put in a cloth bread bag or container. Replace plastic toothbrushes with bamboo toothbrushes that can be composted or buried in the ground, and make your own toothpaste - it's so easy and there are so many recipes on the internet now.

Learn to make your own, whether it is getting back to basics with cooking and using unprocessed ingredients, or making your own skin care, such as toothpaste and body scrubs which are so super easy to make. 

What about composting your scraps instead of tossing?   Save our planet from the greenhouse gases created by those scraps in landfill and produce rich conditioner for your garden at the same time.  Worms are super cute and kids love to help when dirt's involved!

What are you waiting for, make a difference today and start living a waste free life.  You don't have to do it all at once, start by changing one thing each week and in the end it will become your "normal" and mother earth will love you for it.

References

http://www.abc.net.au/ourfocus/waronwaste/

http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

http://www.biome.com.au/