Sustainable Waste

The existence of waste is an indicator of inefficiency in the human economy. We extract from nature to create billions of tonnes of things which we use once, then bury or pump them out to sea - and pay money for each of these stages! As individuals we can learn to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle, with the journey ending with zero waste... nature's finest.

Cultivate waste reduction habits

The average Australian household wastes more than $1,000 every year purchasing items they never use. So use what you buy, buy less and save. more »

Recycle organic waste

Nutrient recycling is the foundation of life. Today's organic waste is tomorrow's lunch, so look after those worms and compost piles. more »

Recycle building waste

Renovating or demolishing a house to build a new one generates up to 200 tonnes of 'waste', but around 80 per cent of this material could be re-used or recycled, saving vast q ... more »

No junk mail and spam

Time and paper are precious resources. Junk mail, email spam and unsolicited phone calls waste both time and paper, so let's get rid of them! more »

Environment

There is no waste in nature – everything is cycled and recycled through the system. Humans, however, too often use natural resources with a ‘cradle to grave’ mentality. We create enough waste to fill a football stadium every few months! The waste we create ends up in our landfill or, worse, litters our open spaces and waterways. It’s unattractive, smelly and leaches chemicals in to our soils and waterways. If we use natural resources in a more efficient manner and focus on the total life cycle of products, we can minimise all these impacts and more.

Wellbeing

Toxic beaches and rivers, litter and smog are all examples of waste impacting on our wellbeing. Actively trying to reduce the amount of waste we produce is part of the personal journey we need to make in order to live sustainable lives and pass a healthy, vibrant and livable planet onto our children.