Consumer demand has brought about many product changes. You can start your own campaign by:

• choosing products that are recycled, recyclable, repairable, re-usable, re-fillable
• reduce packaging by buying in bulk
• look for recycled paper and unbleached paper products
• buy fresh food and start a compost bin or worm farm for scraps - great for the garden.

Tips from our residents

Here are some helpful hints on ways you can help the environment and save money by reducing, reusing and recycling:

• Use old aluminium can to recycle pieces of foil. Roll foil up and place in can, when can is full of aluminium foil put out for recycling.
• Get together with friends, family, neighbours to buy food and pet food in bulk – save money, packaging and fuel. Share the trip to markets and farm gates and buy in season for the best quality.
• Join a local freecycle group to pass on your unused/unwanted stuff. That will reduce the hard rubbish that is a big part of the landfill. In that way others can have something for free too!
• Buy food from shops that allow you to take your own containers. This significantly reduces waste to landfill and reduces waste overall.
• Reuse egg cartons - halve to raise new plant seedlings!
• Save vegetable and food scraps in freezer (be selective). When you have a quantity, vitamise mix in wholemeal flour, egg and minced liver. Makes healthy and cheap dog biscuits. Remember to cook (approximately 180C for 25mins).
• Think Rethink – think before buying: Do you need it? Is there a better alternative? When finished with something what can be done with it – alternative uses, can someone else use – even a preschool! 
• Give gifts that don’t have wasteful wrapping, such as massage vouchers, dinners out, etc
• Have an empty ice cream container handy in the kitchen to put all your fruit and vegetable scraps in. You can easily transfer them to your compost bin. Very soon you will have created a rich compost to fertilise your own veggie patch!
• Collect autumn leaves as they fall in mass, even from neighbours or the street. Use a lawnmower to shred to small pieces. Top mulch all garden beds for winter (save some for summer). This prevents weeds and insulates your plants and makes the worms happy.
• Look closely at each item you’re about to put in your garbage bin and ask yourself; can I compost, recycle or reuse this for another purpose?