Take 6 steps to become a ‘zero waste’ household

The zero-waste movement encourages families to reduce their waste and consider their choices and buying habits to support a low-waste buying habit and live a greener life. 

Becoming a zero-waste household doesn’t have to be costly or inconvenient. Here are six simple ways you can green up your home (and save more!)

Buy food in bulk and fresh produce loose

Reuse your jars, containers and bags to get your groceries. By buying in bulk, you’ll usually pay less per gram saving you money while you buy less plastic and packaging. You can reuse your jars again to store your bulk-packaged groceries.

Buy through your local ‘Buy Nothing’ group or shop second-hand

Find your local buy nothing group and look for household items instead of buying new at buynothingproject.org. No luck? Try Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or your local op-shop.

Audit your trash

Take note of what’s showing up most frequently in your trash to give you an idea of where you can start to reduce waste – maybe it’s spoiled or leftover food, or plastic containers and bags.

Cut waste in the kitchen

Consider alternatives to single-use, disposable products like (ie, alfoil, paper towels and, cling wrap. Some options you might like to consider are:

• Reusable containers (glass or stainless steel)
• Stainless steel straws
• Sturdy, reusable bags
• DIY cleaning products in refillable bottles
• Mesh produce bags Recycled jars

Check your bathroom

There's lots of waste in bathroom and beauty products. Consider bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner bars or solid soap instead of bottled options.

Donate before you bin

No longer want something or think it’s of no use to you? Thing again! There are lots of ways you can donate your unwanted goods before you trash them. You might find some of the below links useful:

Zero waste home