|
|
 |
Environment
Reduce your Eco-footprint - Tips for a healthier Walgett Shire
How can I reduce waste?
Reduce waste when shopping:
- Take your own bags or shopping basket to reduce use of plastic bags.
- Buy your own fresh food and vegetables loose, avoid the use of freezer bags in your supermarket. Avoid pre-packaged fresh foods.
- Cut packaging - buy in bulk.
- Buy concentrated products.
- Don't buy things you don't need.
Reduce waste at work:
- Order supplies in bulk to minimise packaging waste and return damaged materials instead of throwing them away.
- Reduce energy costs by developing a policy to ensure that the most energy efficient equipment is purchased.
- Reuse old supplies and equipment, or consider donating or selling them to schools or thrift stores etc.
- Recycle office equipment by sending photocoier and printer catridges and ribbons to a remanufacturing firm for recycling.
- Reduce paper waste by photocopying double sided, printing double sided or using signle sided waste again as notepaper.
- Avoid generating excess waste by using email as much as possible.
In the lunch room at work:
- Avoid disposable products and buy bulk supplies.
- Reuse items as much as possible such as reusable containers, coffee mugs permanent dishes and cutlery, cloth towels etc.
- Recycle aluminium, glass and platic dring bottles.
Did you know?
- Steel can go through the recycling process again and again without reducing the quality of the end product.
- By recycling one aluminium can you are saving enough energy to run your television for three hours.
- The average Australian typically upgrades their mobile phone every 12-18 months yet only 3% of all mobile phones sold in Australia are currebntly being recycled.
- The average Australian household uses 502 plastic shopping bags every year.
- Recycling 1 tonne of paper and cardboard saves 13 trees.
- If an individual is found guilty of illegal dumping in court, they can face 7 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
- Glass takes one million years to break down naturally.
- Studies have shown that home composting can divert an average of 300kg of material per household per year from the waste stream
- About 24 billion cigarettes are sold in Australia each year. It is estimated that 7 billion of these cigarettes are littered.
- 49% of all water used in the home is used in the bathroom
|
