 1. RECYCLE (duh): This seems like a no brainer, but it's one of the easiest steps you can take by simply putting your rubbish in the correct receptacle. Do you ever feel overwhelmed or confused about what can and cannot be recycled? I found this article super helpful on what the 8 most common recycling mistakes are. ---> DID YOU KNOW: In Australia, 51% of household waste is recycled. If you want to see how we compare to other parts of the world, see this. 2. Have a waste list: I got this idea from Alex Stuart, author of Low Tox Life. Write down everything you had to throw away at the end of the week. It's similar to having a food journal where you write down everything that passes through your lips. Writing down what you throw in the trash will make you more accountable, and hopefully inspire some creative dishes (soups or curries are always great for "tired" veg). Just be sure the whole family is on board so that your list is accurate and hopefully, together, you can increase your chances of success. 3. Shop seasonally: This will help you to save money as well and create less waste. When I by things that are not in season, I tend to wait ages for them to ripen, and then sure enough, I've waited too long and it's gone off. Not sure where to start? Have a look at what fruit and veggies are in season here in Australia. 4. Compost your cut offs: Composting your food waste will significantly reduce what you're putting out for your curbside pick up. Not sure what can be composted? I've listed a few obvious things as well as a few surprises:
5. Eliminate single use plastic bags: Plain and simple. You don't need to put that head of broccoli in a plastic bag to then put it in another bag for it's short journey to your house. The average life span of a single use plastic is a mere 12 minutes. Nowadays you can find awesome, trendy reusable bags. My favourite brand so far is Ever Eco. I love their produce bags which are made from recycled plastic bottles and super easy to clean. They also have some pretty sweet stainless steel straws that we use daily in our home. Love cling wrap? Well, have you tried beeswax wraps? I love Sustomi and the Source Bulk Foods have good ones as well!  "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin 6. Recycle soft plastics: According to Planet Ark, 22% of the population know about recycling soft plastics. I would personally venture to say that the number is quite lower. Until recently, I never knew you could recycle soft plastics! What are soft plastics exactly? These plastics are "scrunchable" meaning you could scrunch them into a ball. Here are a few examples:
 A closer look Soft plastics are the number one source of contamination in our recycling system, so please do not put them in your recycling bin at home! You can recycle your soft plastics at your local REDCYCLE. ---> DID YOU KNOW: You can even recycle toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss containers at TerraCycle? Well, you can. 7. Meal plan BEFORE or AFTER you shop: I don't like meal planning at the beginning of the week. I prefer to head to the market and see what is fresh and allow myself to get inspired. Regardless of whether you plan before or after shopping, have a plan, buy what you need and use it. 8. Say no to junk mail: When is the last time you actually looked at or read the junk mail? If you head to your local $2 shop, you can purchase a small plastic or metal sign that reads "No Junk Mail," and eliminate a bunch of wasted paper from even entering your recycling bin. 9. Find a community: Join a local co op or a Facebook forum to help get new ideas, tip and tricks about waste management. Bea Johnson started the Zero Waste movement, and she has a fantastic blog. You can also connect with her community on Facebook and Instagram. 10. Donate your scraps: When my compost bin was too full to use anymore, I got in touch with Share Waste and wrote all about that experience here. You can also donate your food scraps and off cuts to your local community garden. Hope this helped you guys out! I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments! EMK x Looking for more information?
Head to The War On Waste here to see some excellent clips and tips from the show. Here is clip on how you can fight food waste at home ___ Good for the Hood (as seen on the War on Waste and Q&A) are based in Sydney and they, "Fight the war on waste in your hood." Download their tool kit here for free! Like Good for the Hood on Facebook. They also started the 5 for Ryde and share how to make 5 easy changes to reduce what goes to landfill ____ Thanks to TerraCycle (Colgate and Chemist Warehouse) you can win a community garden for your school _____ Low Tox Life is now available for purchase in the USA!!! Highly recommend this book!
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