Posts Tagged 'waste management'

11 tips to cut your food waste

Published 29 November 2011 Steplight 1 Comment
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The festive season is just around the corner and for the next few weeks many of us will be planning a gathering or two. There are Christmas dinners, summer barbeques and New Years parties and with that – plenty of food. Last year Steplight addressed the issue of e-waste, this year we’re focusing on wasted food.

Food waste is a major issue in Australia and around the world and during the festive season this waste increases. A national poll commissioned by ‘Do something’ found that 59% of Australians admitted to wasting more food than usual over Christmas. This is a lot of waste, especially when you consider that at any other time of the year we discard up to one in every 5 shopping bags of food.

In fact about 3 million tonnes of food is driven to landfill in Australia each year. This not only wastes our money (about $616 per household per year), it also wastes resources and generates methane (a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2) as it rots away in landfill.

Food waste per person per year in Australia

Perhaps the biggest waste of all is that good food is being thrown away while others in our community will not have enough food to share with their families and friends.  The good news is, if we all minimise our food waste it can add up to make a big difference and this festive season is a great time to start.

The Worldwatch Institute (USA) recently published an article addressing food waste and foodwise.com.au is a great resource for tips on how to reduce your impact. Below is a summary of some useful tips.

Shop smart

  • Plan out a menu and try to get an idea of how many guests to expect so that you can prepare the correct amount of food. There are a few online portion calculators such as ‘Perfect Portions’ that can help you with this.
  • Write out a shopping list and make sure you check for ingredients in your kitchen before you head to the shops to avoid doubling up. Make sure you stick to your list. Making a shopping list that corresponds to your menu also means you less likely to miss something which saves you from making several trips to the shops.
  • There are plenty of ‘2 for 1’ deals and offers at Christmas time that could lead to purchasing more than what you need. Only buy the quantity you need.
  • Never shop while hungry as you are more likely to make impulse buys.

Serve smaller

  • The look of all your delicious food presented on the dinner table can lead your guests to feast with their eyes and pile loads of food (unlikely to be finished) onto their plates. The simple solution is to use smaller plates and utensils. Guests are welcome to seconds and leftovers remain in the serving plates and are more likely to be reused.
  • Encourage guests to serve themselves. This reduces the amount of unwanted food on their plates.

Save leftovers

  • Store leftovers safely so that they can be preserved for future meals. Leftovers are also more likely to be eaten if stored in several small containers that are convenient for quick meals on the go.
  • Leftover meals and ingredients can also be used to make new meals. For example, Christmas eve ham and roasted vegetable leftovers can be turned into a delicious Christmas day cheesy bake.
  • Compost your food scraps. This will stop your food from filling landfill and will instead fill you gardens with nutrients and fertilisers – read our composting blogs for more information.
  • If your party is catered, donate leftovers to a food recovery program. There are several programs running throughout Australia such as ‘Oz Harvest’ that collect leftovers from catered events, restaurants and cafe’s and distribute it to those in the community that need it most. This service is usually free for the donor.
  • While raiding your  kitchen for ingredients for your party, take note of any non-perishables that you won’t need or use and donate them to your local charity. Those few forgotten cans of food can be donated to a charity that makes up Christmas hampers for the disadvantaged during Christmas. Contact your local charity for more information.

    OzHarvest logo and phone number

    Many options now exist to reduce food waste at a commercial level (such as OzHarvest 'food rescue')

- Alegria Alano

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Fast recycling facts

Published 13 October 2011 Steplight 1 Comment
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Household recycling has been a common practice since the introduction of kerbside recycling schemes in the 80’s and 90’s. Planet Ark’s National Recycling week (November 7th – 13th) is a good chance to revisit some fast facts on how, what and why we should be recycling.

Plastics

Most plastics are not biodegradable so if they end up in landfill, or worse, in our natural environment, they will persist for many years. Not all plastics are recyclable either. Those that are can be identified by a number inside a triangle of arrows that is stamped somewhere on the product. Lids should be removed because they are usually made from different plastic and need to be separated for sorting. If you are not sure what is recyclable and what isn’t, check with your local council. Here are the various symbols used for recyclable plastics.

Plastic recycling codes

Paper and cardboard

Paper and cardboard are some of the most widely used consumer materials so it is important to recycle as much of it as possible if we are to reduce waste. Using recycled paper and cardboard to make new products not only saves trees, it uses up to 99% less water, 50% less energy and produces 90% fewer by-products (toxic chemical waste, for example). Almost all paper and cardboard can be recycled including writing paper, packaging, envelopes with and without plastic windows, telephone books, magazine, cereal boxes, cardboard packaging, toilet rolls and Manilla folders. Some councils also allow pizza boxes (check with your local council first and don’t forget to remove food chunks). A common non-recyclable is wax-coated cardboard e.g. some fruit boxes.

Glass

Glass is infinitely recyclable and a lot of energy has gone into its production so it is a waste to have it sitting in landfill. In Australia, most glass products contain a substantial proportion of recycled glass, so your used containers can be easily re-used. Using recycled glass to produce new glass uses 75% less energy as it lowers the required production temperature.

Like other recyclables, it’s important to recycle glass correctly to maintain environmental and economic effectiveness by avoiding contamination. For example, heat treated glass can contaminate recyclable glass. Examples of heat treated glass are drink ware, ceramics, window glass and Pyrex. All contaminated batches or recycled glass are sent to landfill, so it is important to separate glass products properly before recycling. You can recycle all glass jars and glass bottles but make sure you remove lids and caps. You should scrape out large food scraps but the label can be left on. Broken glass is not recyclable, so to dispose of it properly, wrap it in some newspaper and throw it in the regular bin.

Aluminium

Aluminium is not found in its metallic state in nature – it must be manufactured from another metal using a complicated and very high-energy process. Like glass, aluminium does not degrade through the recycling process, which means it can continually be recycled. The energy costs of recycling are far less than the energy costs of producing new aluminium. Aluminium drinking cans, foil and food trays are can usually be recycled by your local council, although it is always a good idea to check. Recycled aluminium is used for vehicle parts, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, wire and many other things. Aluminium drinking are usually recycled into aluminium sheets for new drinking cans.

To find your council’s recycling requirements and you nearest drop points for non-kerbside items visit the Recycling Near You website.

Sustainable Spring Clean

Published 29 August 2011 Steplight Leave a Comment
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For many people, the beginning of spring means a big ‘spring clean’. While overhauling the clutter that may have accumulated over the cooler months, keep in mind these sustainable cleaning tips.

Think before you throw

In 2006 – 2007, Australian’s generated approximately 43.8 million tonnes of waste and almost half of this was sent to landfill.

Before you send your things to the tip, consider one of the many other more sustainable means of disposal. One of these is ‘upcycling’ which is turning your old products into something that is new and useful. There are countless blogs available that talk about and share upcycling ideas such as turning old clothes into a patchwork quilt, using an old bed-frame for your no-dig garden or using old camera lenses, tins and even floppy disks to make creative pots and pencil holders.

If you don’t have the time to upcycle, you could give your old clothes, furniture and bric-a-brac to a friend or second-hand shops or even try selling them yourself by having a garage sale or a market stand.

Selling or swapping will work well for things that are still in good condition but you are still likely to be left with some waste that will have to be thrown out. Make sure to dispose of these things thoughtfully. Check with your local council to see what materials can be recycled and make sure you recycle your electronic waste.

Clean with fewer chemicals

Many chemicals commonly found in household cleaners such as detergents, soaps waxes and sprays are toxic to humans and the environment. Cleaning with fewer chemicals doesn’t mean lowering your standard of cleanliness. Organic and environmentally friendly cleaning products are now available from some supermarkets. Just be sure to do a little bit of research to find out what products will work for you without putting your health or the environment at risk.

See our related post on reusing your ‘greywater’.

Furnish for the future

If you’re thinking about re-decorating your space consider more sustainable options. Have a look for second-hand goods on the internet, at garage sales, markets and second-hand or antique shops. If you can’t find a second-hand option, keep in mind the product’s footprint. If possible, buy well-made products that won’t need to be constantly replaced, that are made locally or from sustainable materials.

- Alegria Alano

E-waste this festive season – what you can do about it

Published 16 December 2010 Steplight 4 Comments
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Electronic waste or ‘e-waste’ is a huge disposal problem as mobile phones, computers, TVs and other electronics contain many dangerous heavy metals. When dumped into landfill, they contaminate soils, poison waterways and waste precious resources.

With the 2010 festive season upon us let’s also think about all the extra waste created – and how to dispose of it responsibly.

We are all familiar with the practice of recycling materials such as paper, glass, aluminium and some plastics. This is a great start, but we need to make good use of this and other recycling services this Christmas and New Year holiday season.

43 million tonnes of waste generated in one year

According to the National Waste Report, for the year 2006-07 Australia generated a total of 43,777,000 tonnes of waste. Only a small portion of this was e-waste, but the number reminds us of the scale of our waste problem.

Only 4% of e-waste is recycled

It was reported by the ABC in 2009 that e-waste is growing at three times the amount of other types of waste, with as little as 4 per cent being recycled.

Computers contain heavy metals such as Lead (in solder) and Cadmium (in batteries). In fact, the old style CRT computer monitors contain over 1 kg of lead.

In 2003 Australians, on average, were replacing their mobile phones every 12 to 18 months. Now this has escalated to about every 6 to 12 months as technology changes at an ever increasing rate. Mobile phones can be reclaimed or recycled, saving our environment from being contaminated by these toxic metals: Arsenic, Antimony, Beryllium, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Nickel, and Zinc.

Your e-waste action plan

So, what can we do to reduce our e-waste and make sure our old phones, computers, TVs, etc. are reclaimed for reuse or recycled into other useful materials and products?

  • Firstly, think about whether or not you really need to buy the latest version of mobile phone, computer or TV, or will your current version still meet your needs.
  • Next, recycle printer cartridges at your local Australia Post, and mobile phones with the extensive Mobile Muster recycling program.

And, year round when you have older electronic equipment which needs to be disposed of you can also:

  • Contact your local council about their e-waste reclaim and recycle services (many councils now run annual or more frequent e-waste drop-off services).
  • Check out the Computer Recycling Guide or Recycling Near You websites for specific services in your area.

With warm wishes for a safe, clean, green, and very happy Festive Season 2010.

- Marta Lett

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Compost and worm farms: it’s all good news (Part 1)

Published 14 September 2010 Steplight 4 Comments
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Compost is one of the most valuable resources you can make for your garden. From small potted gardens to large backyards a worm farm will give you concentrated fertilisers suitable for all types of gardens.

The benefits are a long list of great news for the environment and will save you money in the process.

Benefits of composting

  • Less rubbish in landfill
  • Less methane production (a potent greenhouse gas)
  • Free fertiliser for your garden
  • Improves water retention of sandy soils
  • Improves drainage in clay soils
  • Prevents surface crusting of silty soils
  • Increases aeration in compacted soils
  • Keeps soils cooler in summer and warmer in winter
  • Gardens requiring less watering
  • Is useful as a fertiliser, a soil conditioner and as a mulch
  • Recycle your kitchen scraps
  • Recycle your grass clippings, garden prunings and autumn leaves
  • Recycle your newspapers, egg cartons, toilet rolls and pizza boxes

Getting your compost balance right

All compost bins, or heaps, should lie on a soil base and need a balance of materials that:

  • are high in nitrogen (eg blood and bone, chicken manure)
  • contain carbon (eg dried leaves, shredded newspaper)
  • contain both carbon and nitrogen (eg kitchen scraps, pea straw and green garden prunings).

A well-balanced compost consists of two materials – wet and dry, green and brown or fresh and dead.

Dry / brown / dead material includes: shredded newspaper, autumn leaves, pea straw, shredded cardboard, dry manure (but not cat or dog manure), or even a couple of shovels of garden soil.

Wet / green / fresh material includes: kitchen scraps, green leaves, garden clippings, coffee grounds, tea bags, fresh manure and grass clippings.

The proportions aren’t crucial, but generally for each bucket of wet material, it’s important to add a bucket and a half of dry material.

Fixing composting problems

Avoid putting in compost: animal meats and fats, dairy products, animal manure, glossy magazines, bones, diseased plants, weed seeds

If too wet or smelly add more dry or brown materials and allow the compost to aerate by turning it over.

If too dry or not generating much heat it may need more wet or green materials.

Read Part 2 of compost and worm farms: it’s all good news.

- Marta Lett

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