With a growing population also comes an increase in the number of things we consume and throw away. With the issues surrounding landfill becoming more apparent, let's look at the simple, positive actions everyday people can do to avoid adding to the problem.

Here's what the Planet Ark staff do to reduce their waste throughout the week (feel free to copy us!). 

 

1. Marty - Head of Operations: “I always take my reusable Keep Cup whenever I buy a takeaway coffee. My family and I also use the ONYA reusable produce bags when buying fresh fruit and vegetables from the shops.”
2. Nell - Special Projects Manager: “I try to bring my lunch from home in Tupperware containers as often as possible and avoid buying take-away served in plastic packaging with plastic cutlery.”
3. Sam - Planet Ark Paper Programs Manager: “I’ve recently bought some beautiful beeswax wraps from HoneyBee Wrap to use instead of cling wrap. They last up to a year which means a lot of soft plastic saved!”
4. Kristie - Partner Relations Manager: “I have a great little worm farm at home which means I can use all of my fruit and vegetable scraps as food for them. The worm wee then gets used to fertilise my plants which they love.”
5. Ryan - Manager of Recycling Programs: “Whenever I go to the shops I’ll take a backpack or reusable bags to avoid the single-use plastic bags. It may take a little while to remember to bring these bags with you to the shops but once you form the habit you’ll rarely forget”.
6. Martin - Planet Ark Power Program Manager: “When it comes to reducing food wastage, I opt for going to the shops multiple times throughout the week, only buying what I need for the next day or two. This means the food won’t go off before I have the chance to eat it.”
7. Debbie - National Tree Day Manager: “I feed any used tea leaves and coffee grounds to my plants. Coffee grounds and tea leaves are a great mulch for acid-loving plants such as tomatoes, roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and camellias.”
8. Carol - PR and Media Manager: “If I’m stuck without lunch at work and need to buy take-away, I’ll BYO plate so that way I can bring a meal back to work without any food court packaging. Or better yet, eat in!”
9. Claire - Senior Campaign Coordinator: “I’ll save celery tops, broccoli stalks, carrot trimmings and any other vegetable off-cuts and put them in the freezer along with cooked chicken carcasses. Once I have around 3-4 chicken carcasses, I boil everything up and make a delicious, nutrient dense homemade stock."
10. Gavin - Information Centre Support Officer: “Throughout the week, I will collect any soft plastics I’ve used separately and then take it to the RedCycle bins located at Coles. The soft plastic then gets taken away to be recycled and remade into other great products like park benches.”