In the past five decades, the amount of waste that we produce has not only risen but has been higher than ever before in history. This is partly because we have had a bigger global population than ever before but also because products have never been packaged quite the way they are today.
Whether you are buying milk, eggs, cheese, or electronics, there is a lot of packaging that comes with the product. In fact, for some items, the packaging actually costs more than the product itself. Naturally, there is going to be a lot of waste considering the countless products and services that we use on a daily basis. What makes this worse is that it was only recently that manufacturers and even consumers became conscious of the fact that products and production methods need to be environmentally friendly.
Even in Australia where laws around waste disposal are rather strict and people do try to be as careful as possible, the impact of littering is becoming more and more apparent. We are impacting the environment in many ways and the effects are very visible in the form of environmental changes and the forest fires that have been a growing problem for Australia. Here are a few strategies you can use to reduce the impact of the waste from your home or business.
1. Recycling Waste
Today manufacturers are paying more attention to creating products out of materials that can be recycled and also creating packaging that can be recycled. As a consumer of those products, it is your responsibility that you play your part in the recycling process. The best solution is to ensure you find a way to reuse items as much as possible. In fact, a lot of products now come with clear markers that show that this product can be recycled or mention which parts of the product can be recycled. Make sure you don’t throw away everything and recycle the things that can be used again. In fact, for some things like copper and steel you can even collect them and when you have a nice amount, a few pounds worth, you can sell it to your local junkyard.
2. Repurposing
The other thing that you can do with old products is to repurpose them. For instance, maybe you have something like a wooden cabinet that you don’t need anymore. Or maybe it broke from one side. You don’t have to throw it out to sit in a landfill. It likely has wood is still usable. With a few tools, you can give it a new life. Consider repairing it and repainting it for a new piece of furniture. If you live in a country like Australia, for instance, you have options. There are reliable services that can help you clean up the waste that is too difficult for you to get rid of. In fact, if you live in Darwin and are interested in cleaning up Darwin, locals suggest that you rely on a well-known skip bin hire company that can pick up free used items and repurpose those as well. Especially when someone is building a house. There are a lot of things that come out of the house in really good condition that you can reuse. This includes cabinets, sinks, tubs, plumbing, and various fixtures and fittings. You can use this in a lot of ways, it’s all about how creative you can be in repurposing the materials.
3. Composting
What are the most frequently occurring types of waste that people produce? Scraps from the kitchen! And it can build up at home and in businesses. It includes bits of vegetables, fruit peels, and old food. Basically, any organic matter that is leftover from the food we make. Rather than throwing it in the bin you can throw it into your garden’s compost patch and create your own garden compost. Compost is helpful if you have a little garden patch because it’s full of rich nutrients. You can even use the compost fertilizer for regular plants. As long as it is biodegradable and chemical-free, you can throw it in your compost pile. If you are not in favor of using commercial fertilizers and pesticides, this is a very potent solution. It will keep your homegrown produce completely organic.
Most homes and businesses rely on a garbage disposal service to take care of their waste for them. However, you can make the process easier for yourself and the recycling facilities. Simply consider organizing your waste. You can make different bags for biodegradable things, plastic things, steel waste, and glass waste. Leaving a huge bag of trash outside makes it unlikely that the waste disposal service will sort through the material. They will just dump it all into the waste. If you organize it, it makes their life easier. That’s because they know exactly what they need to do with the waste. This way you are lessening the stress on the environment. In addition, you are also helping out your rubbish disposal service in doing their job.
