How to reduce WASTE at home | Sustainable Living

You would have to be living under a rock to not know that there is a war on waste currently being waged in every household in Australia and around the world.

But perhaps I had been living under a rock...

Because while I knew that you always put cardboard and glass into the recycling bin, I was rather ignorant that I contributed to waste. Like, a lot of it. And that I could do things about it. Things that, contrary to popular belief, didn't take that much work.

I was recently talking to a friend and co-worker about how consumer driven our society has become and how nothing is built to last these days. I was reminiscing about how, it didn't seem that long ago that my parents were paying for our TV to get fixed by the repair man because it was too expensive to buy a new one. Now days, if something is broken, no one bothers to fix it, it gets sent to the tip and a new one is easily and thoughtlessly purchased. Admittedly, I had succumbed to this practise on more than one occasion.

If you, like me, had been living in ignorance for years on end and frequently bought that new television as soon as the old one went bust, but want to turn over a new leaf of enlightenment, then perhaps start here...

-Watch the television series 'The war on waste' and complete some cool quizzes here

-Check out 'The True Cost' on Netflix

-Read my blog posts linked below for more info

-Start doing your own research online and find books that resonate with you

-Talk to your friends and family about how they reduce waste

-Look on Pinterest for sustainability inspo and check out my board here

I always think that the best place to start is your mind...

Start by changing the way you think about stuff and educating yourself on the impact of waste on the environment, our health and feelings of satisfaction. Once your curiosity is well and truly piqued, here are some easy and cost effective ways to reduce waste at home.

1. Use it up. Any daggy looking fruits or vegetables, blend together to make a healthy juice.

2. Start finding additional use for products. I finished my body lotion so I'm moisturising with hand cream. The dishwashing liquid is finished, so I'm using the hand wash to clean the dishes.

3. Compost. Food waste does not break down properly when wrapped in plastic, so instead start a compost heap.

4. Use beeswax wraps. These look and smell good and are much better than the nasty old cling wrap.

5. Don't waste electricity. Turn things off at the power point when not in use.

6. Meal prep. Make a number of meals to take to work for lunch or bring left overs so that food isn't getting thrown out.

7. Better yet, shop better. Plan your weekly meals out prior to shopping and only buy things on the list. I try to have things with salad or vegetables close to each other so that I'm using up perishables before they go bad.

8. Bring your own cup. Or if you forget (as we sometimes do) take a load off and sit down in the café for your coffee.

9. Repurpose. Prior to throwing things out, see if you can repurpose them or see if there is someone else who may want/need them.

10. Stop buying so much stuff. This one is the easiest and also the hardest. It's easy because it's simple but it's hard because you now need to train your brain that you actually don't need this stuff and that your life will go on without it.

This involves a lot of little changes over time and the important thing is not to feel guilty if you aren't achieving perfection all of the time.My journey to waste less has really only begun. I will post more blogs related to this to give you updates on my journey and how I'm implementing zero waste (or less waste, let's be honest) into my everyday living. In today's day and age that's almost impossible. All you can do is to try your best and the planet and your bank account will thank you later...

Make sure to check out my other social media platforms for more sustainable living inspiration! Instagram @evolveliving_blog and YouTube Carly Morton.

Carly xx

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