Reducing household waste

• The three ‘R’s
  
• Reduce
  
• Reuse
  
• Recycle
  
• Make it a habit
  
• Find out more
  

The three ‘R’s

By applying the three ‘R’s of the ‘waste minimisation hierarchy’ in our daily lives, we can reduce the amount of waste going to our landfills.

Next time you put your rubbish bag out, take a good look at your rubbish. Ask yourself:

• What packaging could I have avoided buying? (Reduce).
  
• What plastic container could I find a new use for? (Reuse).
  
• What could I recycle or compost? (Recycle).

Reduce

There are many ways you can reduce the amount of waste your household produces, for example:

• Choose long-lasting instead of disposable items.
  
• Choose products with minimal/recyclable packaging.
  
• Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging.
  
• Mend broken items when possible.

Reuse

There are many household items that can be reused around the home or given to another person to reuse. Here are a few places you can take unwanted reusable household items:

• Books and magazines – hospitals, doctor’s waiting rooms, schools, kindergartens, second-hand book shops.
  
• Toys - hospitals, doctor’s waiting rooms, kindergartens, opportunity shops.
  
• Good used clothing and household items – opportunity shops, local church.

Recycle

Worried about what to do with different types of waste? Here are some ideas for making the best of what you’ve got:

From the house:

• Cans - kerbside recycling, or take to a refuse transfer station for recycling.
  
• Glass - kerbside recycling, or take to a refuse transfer station for recycling.
  
• ‘Green’ kitchen food scraps (no meat/fat/grease/dairy products) - compost heap.
  
• Paper - kerbside recycling, or take to a refuse transfer station for recycling.
  
• Plastics (types ‘1’ and ‘2’) - kerbside recycling, or take to a refuse transfer station for recycling.
  
• Vacuum cleaner dust - compost heap.

From the shed:

• Car batteries - refuse transfer station.
  
• Motor oil - refuse transfer station for recycling.

From the garden:

• Animal manure - compost heap.
  
• Garden waste - compost heap.

Find out where your local recycling facilities are located and what they will take for recycling.

Make it a habit

People who succeed at recycling make it part of their day-to-day routine. Try some of the following tips while at the supermarket or at home:

At the supermarket

Reduce the amount of waste you produce by reducing the amount of packaging you take home.

At the supermarket:

• Buy larger sizes, concentrates and refills.
  
• Check to see if you can recycle the packaging, for example, paper, cardboard, glass, cans and plastic types ‘1’ and ‘2’.
  
• Take your own shopping bags or box to take your shopping home in.

In the kitchen

Try these easy steps to make recycling easier:

• Rinse tins, plastics and glass when you’ve finished washing the dishes.
  
• Sort your recycling straight after rinsing.
  
• Keep your kerbside recycling crate close by so it’s easily accessible.
  
• Have a container for your kitchen scraps and add them to your compost (remember no meats or fats).

In the garden

Composting is a great way to reuse your kitchen and garden waste. Try these composting tips:

• Sprinkle your compost with water to it keep moist and add a shovel of soil now and then.
  
• Don’t add any dairy products, meat, fat or cooking oil.
  
• Don’t add any diseased plants or persistent weeds such as oxalis and dock, to your compost.

Find out more

Find out what people in the Waikato Region are doing with their waste.

Check out the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) for more information on reducing waste, recycling and composting.

Find out about reducing business waste.