Reducing waste

What you can do to reduce and reuse

• Borrow, swap, rent or share before buying items you only use occasionally, such as garden tools, camping supplies, party supplies.
• Maintain and repair clothing, appliances and other items before replacing them.
• Look for products that use less packaging, such as bulk items instead of smaller individually wrapped products.
• Buy used. You can find everything from clothing to building materials at charity shops and salvage centres (listed below).
• Recycle whatever remains after these steps and only dispose to landfill what cannot be reduced or reused.

Donate unwanted goods

Pre-owned clothing, shoes, bags, homewares, electrical items, children's toys, dishes, ornaments, bedding and other household items that are in reasonable condition can be given to numerous charity organisations.

Some charity organisations may collect larger items such as furniture or whitegoods free of charge. For these items is best to contact the organisation directly to find out what they will accept and whether they are able to collect it.

Lions Shed (bargain centre) 36 Quailo Avenue, Hallett Cove Open Thursdays 9:30am - 12:30pm and Saturdays 9am - 12:30pm

Join the war on waste and carry a reusable cup for takeaway coffee. Some outlets are signing up to be Responsible Cafes and offering discounts on BYO cups. Find your local Responsible Cafes below.

You can refuse the junk mail that ends up in your letterbox by purchasing a ‘No advertising material’ label for your letterbox (available from most hardware stores) or by following this advice on the Clean Up Australia website.

Cloth nappies have come a long way and now families can try before they buy.

The Eco Bums Cloth Nappy Library came about because of the overwhelming number of modern cloth nappies on the market and families being unsure on which one to choose and how to use them.

For more information visit the Eco Bums Cloth Nappy Library service website.

Turn your food scraps and garden waste into a rich soil conditioner for the garden. Visit our composting and worm farming page for tips on getting started (refer to link below).

Visit the Foodwise website to find recipe suggestions for using leftovers in the fridge and reducing food waste.

You can also find additional information on various other topics on our Sustainable Living page (refer to link below).