Join the War on Waste
If we all get on board with small changes to reduce our waste, we can make a big difference to how much rubbish goes needlessly into landfill.
We all need to do our bit to protect this extraordinary place we call home and reduce the amount of waste heading to landfill.
NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) charge a levy on all waste facilities and this cost is then passed onto Councils. Each year the waste levy increases to encourage the reduction of waste going to landfill and to promote recycling. The current waste levy is nearly 2.5 times more than what is was for 2009-2010.
Simple choices add up and help reduce the amount of waste we generate. Choose to refuse and re-use.
- Use reusable coffee cups, water bottles and shopping bags.
- Put a ‘no junk mail’ sticker on your letterbox.
- Opt out of getting paper copies of the Yellow and White Pages.
Attend a workshop... with a friend
Bring a friend to one of our workshops and save the planet together. Choose from many of the activities listed below, such as fermenting foods, keeping backyard chickens or make money selling unwanted stuff online.... check out these interesting activities to get involved in to reduce your impact.
Food Waste
Did you know that 38% of rubbish in NSW garbage bins is food waste and that 20% of the food Australians thrown out is because they buy too much or don’t store their food correctly? Once in landfill, food waste produces greenhouse gases that impact on our environment.
You can help stop wasting food by planning your meals, shop to a list, buy fruit and vegetables locally and in season (they’ll last longer), store food correctly, use leftovers and freeze excess food.
Visit Love Food Hate Waste for inspiring tips on how to reduce your food waste.
Cook waste free
Unleash your creativity in the kitchen with Cornersmith, leaders in sustainable food choices. This one-hour demonstration will included a discussion on reducing household food waste, choosing ‘ugly’ veg and seasonal produce, tips and tricks for food storage, pickling and bouillon recipes, cooking demo and taste testing.
Preserving excess veg and fruit
Stop wasting food and discover the traditional preserving techniques of our grandparents with Moss House. This demonstration workshop will allow you to learn new skills for sustainable living. Time to ask questions and of course some taste testing! Recipes included, just bring an apron to assist.
Delicious fermented foods
Join Cultured Artisans in their 2 ½ hour hands-on workshop. Learn how to use excess seasonally available produce to produce delicious ferments such as sauerkraut and brined vegetables.
Composting
Composting and worm farming is a great alternative to disposing of your food waste in the rubbish bin while creating quality fertiliser for your pot plants and garden. Book into one of our workshops at the CEC or Kimbriki. Northern Beaches residents are eligible for one free compost bin or worm farm. Our first batch of worm farms and compost bins have been claimed. Please register your interest and you will be notified when our second round of stock arrives.
No room for a compost bin or worm farm? Check with your local community gardens to see if they will take your food waste and turn it into quality compost.
Keeping backyard chickens
Chickens love your food waste and they give you free, fresh free-range eggs while also making great pets for your kids.
Disposable Plastics
Beeswax wraps
Where possible avoid disposable plastics. Attend one of our Beeswax Wrap workshops and learn how you can swap cling wrap for reusable beeswax wraps.
Can’t make it to one of our workshops? Watch our instructional video.
Pledge Swap This for That
Find out more about our Swap This for That campaign. Take our pledge and put down single-use plastic bags, bottles, straws and coffee cups - aka the ‘Big 4’ – and pick up sustainable alternatives.
Find out more about reducing single use plastics.
Redcycle your soft plastics
Did you know that soft scrunchable plastics such as bread, rice, pasta bags and cling wrap can be recycled in the Redcycle bins at your local supermarkets? REDcycle recycles them into outdoor furniture for primary and pre-schools.
Visit REDcycle for a list of recyclable soft plastic items and participating supermarkets.
Nappies
Did you know every baby will go through between 4,000 and 6,000 nappies before they are toilet trained? This will cost you around $3,000 for just one child. Modern cloth nappies will only cost you between $500 and $1,000 and keep nappies out of landfill.
Read about some other benefits for making the switch to reusable cloth nappies.
Our reusable nappy workshops are perfect for expectant parents with time to work out what options will work best for you and your baby. Parents of toddlers not yet toilet trained are also welcome.
Furniture, Appliances, Mattresses and Toys
We can avoid this type of waste by buying quality items that will last or buying second hand.
Learn how to buy and sell online, and in turn keep these items out of landfill. Give your much-loved items a chance to be used and cherished by another person.
