‘Anticipated’ questions is probably more accurate, but let’s not get distracted by detail….
Q: What is ‘Zero Waste’ living?
Let’s be clear, as long as we are alive, it is not possible to achieve true Zero Waste. It is what we strive for and a way of thinking and living to reduce waste in our life from the products and food we consume. Reducing our waste helps the environment in so many ways from reducing manufacturing demand (and hence the pollutants it produces and resources it consumes) to reducing rubbish in our environment, to lessening the burden on energy-requiring recycling facilities and so much more! Zero Waste living involves living by the 5 R’s:
Refuse. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Rot.
In efforts to reduce waste, we should firstly refuse what we don’t need. Some examples include many cleaning products for the home (simply not needed), or refusing plastic straws, or the brand-new packet of pencils that the restaurant tries to give your child (‘No thanks! We’ve brought our own!’). If we cannot refuse something, we reduce what we own and/or consume to reduce the environmental impact. Packaging, for example, is something that can be reduced by opting for a product with less packaging if we cannot get it without packaging. Another example is printing (does it really need to be printed, or could I print 2 or 4 pages per sheet?) or perhaps making efficient trips out with the car by combining errands to reduce car usage. For items that cannot be refused or reduced, we consume items that can be reused. When we reuse, we are swapping disposable items for reusable items such as reusable shopping bags, reusable coffee cups, handkerchiefs, etc. Recycling should be done (correctly!) if we cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. Lastly, we rot, or compost, the rest.
Of course we also need to repair what we have to prevent more items in landfill.
Q: What does Change to Zero do?
Change to Zero promotes the switch to Zero Waste living. Through our website, blog and Facebook page, we share ideas on reducing household waste. We hold clean up events in the local area and give talks to the community. We love to work with community groups, council and local business to help reduce waste.
Q: I want to start being more environmentally friendly, but I find it really overwhelming. Where can I start?
With Zero Waste living! It can feel overwhelming at first, but I promise you, it will bring satisfaction, save you money, and add meaning and value to your life. And you’ll have a positive impact on the environment! It’s important to be kind to yourself. It is not possible to make all the changes you wish to at once. I recommend deciding on an area of the home that you find easiest to tackle first (for example, I found it easiest to start on the cleaning products and laundry first, then moved on to the bathroom). When you do your grocery shopping, start opting for items with no packaging or less packaging. If you are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with a certain area or item, take a break and work on something else and revisit it later. Work with where you’re at and what you’ve got and remember that what is right for one person may not be for another, so be kind to yourself and others.
Q: I find recycling confusing. What are your top tips for effective recycling?
The best place to start is to check with your local council about what is accepted and what cannot be accepted in each of your bins. After refusing and reducing, then correctly recycle. Change to Zero is based in the City of Kingston, Melbourne, Australia and they have great information on their website about recycling. There is even an A to Z of recycling on their website that lists many different collection centres for things like scrap metal and batteries.
In the City of Kingston, recycling goes in the ‘yellow bin’. Here, it is important that plastic bags do NOT go in the recycling bin; this includes bundling recyclables in a plastic bag. Plastic bags contaminate the recycling process and it is too labour intensive and dangerous for workers to open the bags. Soft plastic bags can instead be recycled through REDCycle. Polystyrene is another item that CANNOT go into the yellow recycling bin. Sadly, standard disposable coffee cups cannot be recycled through standard paper recycling either as they have a plastic liner. Best to enjoy that coffee in the café in one of their ceramic mugs or a glass or bring your own reusable cup.
Just because an item has the three chasing arrows symbol does NOT mean that it is recyclable. It is just an indicator of the type of plastic. It is not an area of expertise for me (yet!), so do some more reading if you want to learn more – there is plenty of information out there.
Q: Do you accept free products or payments to endorse/mention products?
Nope! If I mention a product or brand, it is just to help the information level provided and is my own personal opinion.
If you have any questions, please contact us!
Change to Zero 