Waste Reduction Wish List for 2019

Consumer products are almost always over-packaged in single-use materials, often plastic that never biodegrades. Creating disposable plastics and packaging is unsustainable, depleting the world’s resources and contributing to pollution, habitat destruction, and other environmental disasters such as the Pacific Garbage Patch.

 

“We hereby declare that we will take action in our daily lives to create less waste, and to avoid

purchasing products made of, or packaged in, plastic.”

These actions should include:

  • Buy less stuff! Use what you have, repair what you have, borrow, and buy second-hand.
  • No plastic shopping bags. Bring reusable bags for errands.
  • No plastic water bottles. Bring refillable water bottles.
  • No take-away coffee cups. Bring refillable mugs.
  • No plastic cutlery.
  • Buy from bulk bins whenever possible, bring own reusable containers. (This can include most dry goods such as flour, rice, baking ingredients, nuts, etc. as well as liquid goods such as oils, etc.)
  • Avoid products in plastic bottles/jugs where possible.
  • Laundry soap – soap nuts are a great substitute or buy laundry soap in bamboo bags.
  • Change body washes and hand soap to bars of soap. Use natural soaps.
  • Don’t put produce in plastic bags. Buy loose fruit & veg. Bring own reusable produce bags.
  • Avoid bread in plastic bags. Buy from bakery in paper bag or bring reusable cloth bag.
  • Cut back on tissue use. Use washable handkerchiefs instead.
  • Cut back on take-out/delivery of meals. Use own reusable containers for take out.
  • No disposable sandwich bags. Use reusable snack bags instead.
  • No plastic wrap. Use wax-coated fabric wraps or store leftover food in bowls with plates on top or in reusable container.
  • No plastic toothbrushes. Use biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes instead.
  • No plastic dental floss in plastic cases. Use biodegradable silk floss in refillable container.
  • No disposable wipes or cosmetic pads. Use reusable cloths.
  • Request less packaging at stores and online. Send a message to retailers that we don’t want their unsustainable, single-use, disposable packaging, especially plastic.
  • Make a longer-term commitment to finding ways to make more things from scratch, such as toiletries, so as not to purchase items in plastic containers.

Here are some excellent websites:

https://www.floraandfauna.com.au

https://www.lilbit.com.au/shop