Simple ways to cut waste

Help save the planet and save your hard earned money by reducing waste with the 4 R’s: Recycle, reuse, return or refuse (packaging.)

• Compost your own food scraps. For instructions visit www.reducerubbish.govt.nz.
• Reduce the use of plastic bags by taking your own shopping bags to the supermarket.
• Use environmentally friendly products, including dish detergents, shampoos, laundry powders and natural soaps.
• Dry your washing by the sun and wind or overnight on racks beside the fire. An extra rack or two is a good investment and will be used for years.
• Have bins or bags in the boot of the car ready for supermarket shopping and organize to shop once a week.
• Use real plates and cups at a party, or choose potato plates rather than plastic if you really want to avoid the washing up.
• Use a reusable plastic picnic set or two, and wash and reuse them forever.
• Plant your own veggie garden, or if space is limited, cultivate a few choice vegetables in pots and other containers. Take the bowl out of a washing machine, make a stack of tyres, or build a wall out of straw bales and fill with mature compost from your compost bin.
• Chip the annual tree cuttings from the garden with a garden mulcher and put the mulch on the garden to reduce weeds.
• Extend the time between mowing the lawns, save petrol and noise pollution. Yes!
• Fix any dripping taps and fit the bathroom with an efficient showerhead.
• Save your washing for a full load, and only iron if necessary. What a shame.
• Buy in bulk, save on packaging.
• Buy large containers of sauce, rice, flour etc and transfer to smaller containers as you need them..
• Buy juice in concentrate form and save on plastic bottles.
• Buy milk in four litre containers, cut the plastic waste by half.
• It pays to check closely, but in most cases buying in bulk means cheaper prices and less packaging.