12 New Year's Resolutions To Live By

Posted on: July 10, 2020

Make 2019 the year that you break up with waste. Here are 12 of our favourite (and easy) ways to reduce your personal waste-footprint.

BYO every time

Banish takeaway coffee cups and plastic water bottles from your life.

---

Go plastic straw-free

If you like drinking with a straw now’s the time to invest in a reusable one, otherwise make a point of ordering drinks with a request to hold back the straw.

---

Boycott plastic barrier bags

Buy fruit and veg loose or invest in a set of reusable produce bags. And, while you’re at it, leave those packaged fruit and veg on the shelf!

---

Opt out of the “sales-rush” mentality

Quit junk mail. Unsubscribe from all those advertising emails clogging your inbox. Just because it’s discounted doesn’t mean you need it.

---

Get educated

Understand the scale of the problem here in WA, and on a global front. 

---

Swap plastic for tin (or glass)

If you are out and about and need to pick up a drink consider choosing cans over plastic bottle. Think about it – plastic lids can’t be recycled and neither can the plastic stickers, whereas all elements on a can can!

---

Divert your organic waste from landfill

A big unwieldly compost bin is no longer your only option for keeping food scraps out of your household bin. Worm farms and bokashi bins are great, and often more compact, alternatives. You can also get in touch with your local council to encourage them to get on board with FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) recycling. It’s already making a big difference in the WA towns and suburbs that have introduced it.

---

#useitup

It’s as easy as it sounds. Make January the month that you clear out your fridge and pantry. Use up the items you have already before you buy more – and make a note of the items that have been languishing at the back for too long and avoid buying them in the future.

---

Recycle the trickier items too

Hopefully you’re already full bottle on what you should be putting in your yellow-topped recycling bin, but are you also recycling (rather than throwing out) those trickier items like Nespresso pods, batteries, printer cartridges, old towels etc? We’ve put together some tips on how you can recycle better.

---

Give access, not stuff

For the next 12 months why not commit to a new approach for present buying. Avoid creating new waste by gifting friends and family experiences and access. Think vouchers for a memorable day out, a subscription to an e-book service or even a nice meal.

---

Buy less

This one can be applied in a whole variety of places but can be particularly effective when grocery shopping (hello less food waste!) and shopping for clothes (perhaps 2019 might even be the year you embrace the capsule wardrobe trend).

---

Bag it in style

Lightweight plastic bags are no more, but why not commit to avoiding ALL bags – heavy weight plastic and paper included? Or, if you get caught short and do need to take one, make sure you use it for all of the items you purchase that day. There’s no need to accept extra bags just to become a walking advert for a store!

---

And here are some bonus tips from the 2018 Western Australian Infinity Award champions:

• "Look for ways to reduce food packaging. I take my reusable container and bag to local Turkish restaurant for bread and hummus and a Tupperware container for sushi." Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, Executive Director, Plastic Free July Foundation
• "Don't buy anything wrapped in single-use plastic if you can avoid it." Pam Van Effrink, Landlord
• "Recycle, don't bin, any old electrical items." Michael Coghill, Co-Founder, Total Green Recycling
• If you're a business paying for waste removal take the time to educate staff better, and recycle organic material through a program like that offered by Kooda. Daryl Naidu, Owner, New Normal Bar and Kitchen

Want to keep waste front of mind this year, why not follow us on Facebook or Instagram for year-round inspiration?