Waste Free Wednesdays

Posted on: July 13, 2020

Intimidated by the thought of eliminating plastic for a full month? Get into Plastic Free July training early this year by embracing something we like to call Waste Free Wednesday!

It’s as easy as it sounds – make Wednesdays the day that you are 100% mindful about the waste you generate, and if you can do it well, you’ll leave no trace (and feel more confident in cutting your waste on the six other days of the week too!).

Why is it important?

On average, Western Australians produce almost 20% more waste than those living in other states. We all need to find ways to cut waste, and this is a great way to create new habits if you’re not quite sure where to begin.

What does it involve?

The goal of having a Waste Free Wednesday (#WasteFreeWednesday) is to avoid throwing anything out, or indeed buying anything at all, that may end up in landfill. Items that can be recycled – assuming you do recycle them – are ok.

What preparation do I need to take?

• Think about how you’ll deal with food waste throughout the day (you could plan to eat leftovers from the fridge or compost the scraps)
  • If you don’t already compost your food scraps you might want to ask your neighbours or check out the ShareWaste app to see whether you can give them to someone who will use them
• Think about whether you’re recycling everything you can (including the unusual items like coffee pods, old pens, receipts, chocolate wrappers)
  • Stock up on waste-free snacks – cooking your own is a great way to avoid plastic packaging, especially if you buy the ingredients from a bulk supply store. And as a bonus, they are likely to keep you going for a few more days too!

What do I need to avoid on Wednesdays:

• Anything packaged as a single-serve (yoghurt, biscuits, crisps, chocolates etc) or in take-away packaging (coffees, bought-lunches etc) or the non-essentials (straws, plastic bags).
• Plastic bottles – remember, while a lot of the bottles themselves can be recycled, the lids can’t through WA’s yellow-topped recycling bins. If you can, BYO bottle and fill up from a tap. Cans are another good alternative.
• Making new purchases – it’s not just grocery items that are a problem. It’s all the ‘stuff’ we buy – from clothing and textiles, to furniture, to electronic devices and toys – that really adds up. Train yourself to think twice before you pull out a credit card or hand over cash, and not just on Wednesdays! See if you can reuse something you already have, borrow it from someone else, or buy second-hand before you buy anything new!  

DAY DONE – NO WASTE. RESULT!

We’d love to hear how you’re tackling Waste Free Wednesdays – tag us @wastesortedwa on Facebook, @wastesorted on Instagram and include #WasteFreeWednesday.