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How do you celebrate Australia Day sustainably?

Learning

January 22, 2018

Tags: Australia Day

Highlights

Whether it’s a picnic, BBQ or camping, we’ve got you covered with our best tips for a sustainable Australia Day.

Having a picnic

Whatever you do, be sure to avoid single-use plastics. This includes plastic cutlery, plates and cups. If you really need to use disposable items, make sure they are environmentally-friendly and compostable.

Eco-champ tip: Invest in the Clean Up Australia picnic set. It’s completely reusable and ready to enjoy all summer long.

Hosting a BBQ

Plan ahead, use a shopping list and get down to your local markets. Shopping at the local markets is a great way to avoid plastic packaging while minimising waste.

Eco-champ tip: Take your party to the next level by investing in classy sustainable extras like metal straws for your cocktails and cloth napkins.

Camping

A good rule of thumb is to make sure to leave your campsite the way you found it. If you don’t have access to bins, take your waste with you when you leave and recycle when you get home.

Eco-champ tip: Choose aluminium drink containers over plastic as aluminium is 100% recyclable. They are easy to crush and convenient to transport home for recycling.

Going to the beach

Bring your own drink bottle. Most public beaches have water fountains where you can refill your drink bottle. Don’t contribute to the growing amount of plastic bottles littering our coastlines.

Eco-champ tip: Freeze an extra drink bottle the night before. It will help keep your drinks cold during the day and you will be able to enjoy an icy cold beverage once it’s melted.

Pool party

Forget the inflatable pool toys and water balloons. They may be fun but the flimsy plastic is terrible for the environment. Have fun with a classic game of Marco Polo instead.

Eco-champ tip: Parents, keep the kids busy with making their own decorations and games like these handmade water balloons.

Don’t let your efforts go to waste this Australia Day. Check out more great tips for a sustainable Australia Day.

If you’re passionate about making a sustainable future possible register for Clean Up Australia Day on March 4, or register your workplace for Business Clean Up Day on 27 February.

Reducing waste at parties and gatherings

Learning

December 22, 2017

Tags: Everyday tips

Highlights

(Click to see the infographic in a new tab)

A little bit of planning and clever reuse of boxes can go a long way towards making your gatherings and parties a sustainable one. Here are our quick and easy tips to doing so:

1. Plan ahead to minimise wastage
  By making a list and checking it twice, you can prevent impulse buying and over catering. A list helps ensures you haven’t forgotten anything, reducing the potential for multiple trips to the grocery store or farmer’s market.
2. Freeze, not chill your leftovers
  Store your leftovers in the freezer, not the fridge. This keeps the food longer, rather than throwing it all out one week later should you forget it’s there.
3. Setup recycling corners for easy waste management
  Reuse those extra cardboard boxes and set up a “recycling collection corner” near your seating area to make recycling easier. When it’s full, just empty the box into your kerbside recycling bin.
4. Regift unused presents
  If you have received gifts you’ve never used, consider regifting them to those you know would use it instead, rather than letting them collect dust or letting them go to waste.
5. Avoid single use plastics
  Instead of using disposable napkins, switch to cloth napkins and fabric table cloths when laying out the dinner table. These can be reused multiple times, as opposed to the single-use kitchen towels and paper napkins.

And those are our top 5 tips to make your family gatherings and parties sustainable. Have your own? Share it with us on social media using the hashtag #sustainablefuture.

Finding the right sustainable gift

Learning

December 18, 2017

Tags: Everyday tips

Highlights

Looking for a gift that’s sustainable, environmentally-friendly and affordable? Look no further! Our list of sustainable gifts will get you inspired.

For the coffee and tea lovers

You can’t go wrong with a reusable cup. These come in a variety of sizes and features to fit your needs. For a cup that’s truly sustainable and practical, we recommend Clean Up Australia’s collapsible pocket coffee cup. It’s perfect for the coffee and tea lover who’s always on the go, as it fits neatly into a bag and more importantly, under standard barista machine heads.

For the sippers

There’s nothing better than a cold drink on a hot day, but single-use plastic straws are some of the most damaging plastics on the planet. If your recipient loves sipping through a straw, then consider giving them a pack of lovely reusable rose gold stainless steel straws. They’re easy to clean and go wonderfully cold when stuck in an icy drink.

For the kids

A water balloon fight is the perfect way to cool down on a hot day, especially for kids. However, the aftermath often leaves much plastic pieces behind which may make its way into our oceans. These reusable water balloons by Tammy of Gippsland Unwrapped are a good project for those who love to crochet and knit, and they’ll provide hours of fun.

For the picnickers

Did you know that reusable picnic basket sets exist? These sets often have completely reusable cutlery and partitions to store drinks and food, much like the Clean Up Australia Picnic Set. The only thing you’ll need to do is pack the actual food. If your recipient’s an explorer (see below), it will make a great 2-in-1 gift for the season.

For the explorers

Instead of getting them a physical gift, consider gifting an experience. A day trip to a sustainable spa, an eco-friendly wine tour, museum outings and dinner at a nice restaurant are some examples of a simple and environmentally-friendly present that won’t cost too much. Plus, the memories will far outlast a physical gift.

For the one’s who have already got everything

Being sustainable isn’t just about the environment – it’s about supporting the local community too. Make a donation to a charity or buy a voucher from a charity, social enterprise or shop that stocks sustainable goods.

Have a gift suggestion that’s not covered here? Share your thoughts with us on social media with the hashtag #sustainablefuture.

What does it mean to be an Eco-Champ?

Learning

December 1, 2017

Tags: Everyday tips

Highlights

How can you, as an eco-champion, take your passion for sustainability and channel it towards the greater good? Cleanaway believes that each one of us can make a difference – as individuals and as a collective. Here’s how.

Sustainability is about choice

Choose aluminium cans over glass. When out and about, choose aluminium cans over glass bottles. Aluminium can be recycled many times without compromising quality and is considered a valuable commodity in the recycling market. While glass is 100% recyclable, it is harder to find viable markets for recycled glass and it is often crushed to be recycled for construction or road base materials.
Choose to refuse single use plastics. Eliminating single use plastics is potentially the most impact we can make as individuals, and the easiest change we can encourage in others. Refuse plastic straws. Use and reuse cups and water bottles. Bring your own reusable mugs to your favourite coffee place, and bring along Tupperware or recycled containers for take-away food. Learn more about the Plastic Free July initiative that began with one simple call-to-action in Perth, and has now spread nationwide.
Choose brands/organisations/projects that promote sustainability. Put your money where your mouth is by buying products from companies that hold similar values to you. Maybe they use recyclable materials, build sustainability into their supply chain, or ensure that what they produce can be recycled.

Get others involved

Start recycling young. A little education on the basics of recycling goes a long way. The earlier we get our kids involved in recycling and sustainability education, the more they can make a difference later. Often, waste reduction and recycling is simply a habit – when formed early, it can become second nature. Find out more about Cleanaway’s many recycling education programs for preschool, primary and secondary school children.

Cleanaway’s interactive stall was bustling with primary students who wanted to learn more about recycling at the Youth Eco Summit 2017, held at Sydney Olympic Park on the 16th and 17th of November.

Recycle at work. If your office doesn’t have a recycling program, take the lead and start one. Get in touch with like-minded colleagues to pool ideas and recruit ambassadors for change. Get the support of management and show them how thinking green is a benefit for the whole company. For instance, Cleanaway’s Waste Education Officer Elli Webb started by bringing her own hand towels to the office to avoid using paper towels, which in turn inspired her colleagues to do the same. Follow her MAD (Make A Difference) journey towards zero waste here.
To find out the difference increased recycling can make to your business, organise a waste audit from Cleanaway.

Stay up to date. New recycling practices and technologies are being developed all over the world, and we can look abroad for further inspiration. Sign up for the latest recycling news, updates and events in our Sustainable Future e-newsletter.

Go beyond the recycling bin this National Recycling Week

Learning

November 13, 2017

Tags: National Recycling Week

Highlights

This National Recycling Week, Cleanaway wants to help you be a recycling superhero with some tricks and tips to make a sustainable future possible. Put your recycling knowledge to the test and then take action to become a true hero with our easy guide.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Take our quiz
How much do you know about what goes in your household recycling bin? Take our quiz to find out and then share the results to see how you compare with your friends. Follow the conversation with our hashtags #NRW2017 and #sustainablefuture

Step 2: It only takes 30 seconds to save the world

It doesn’t take much to be a recycling superhero. In fact, it only takes about 30 seconds to be a top recycler. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Rinse your containers
This simple but effective step helps prevent contamination and improves the quality of the material for recycling.
Recycling your toothpaste tubes
Everyone uses toothpaste but what do you do when the toothpaste runs out? Here’s how to recycle your toothpaste tube.

Have a super-quick and easy recycling tip? Let us know with the hashtags #recyclingsuperhero and #sustainablefuture

Step 3: Go beyond the recycling bin
Being a recycling superhero isn’t just about what should go into your yellow-lid recycling bin. Find out how you can go the next level with recycling in your home or office.

- Recycle your food waste into compost
  If you have the space in your garden, then consider recycling your food and garden waste into compost. Compost is an excellent way to enrich your garden’s soil while recycling your food waste. Learn how to start your own compost heap here.
Turn in your e-waste to reduce resources
Old electronic devices such as smartphones, TVs and computers contain precious metals and materials that can be recycled multiple times. Instead of letting them languish in a drawer or throwing them out, send them to your nearest e-waste facility.

Step 4: Get your workplace involved
National Recycling Week is a great opportunity to start your workplace or business on a road to sustainability. Here’s how to get started.

Want more #recyclingsuperhero tips? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to learn more.

National Recycling Week wrap up

Learning

October 27, 2017

Tags: National Recycling Week

Highlights

What did we do for NRW 2017?

This year, we focused our recycling awareness efforts on two fronts – engagement and education. We invited folks to participate in our ‘Are You A Recycling Superhero?’ quiz, to see just how well people understood kerbside recycling, and find out what really holds them back from making a sustainable future possible.

Almost 1,700 people engaged with the quiz on Facebook and it inspired some excellent articles, animations and even an online poll. Here’s what we discovered.

We sure love our pizza! The question with the most correct answers was “Are pizza boxes recyclable?”
Most quiz-takers didn’t know that aerosol cans can be recycled in their kerbside collection.
Almost 50% of respondents thought all items with a recycling triangle are recyclable. (They’re not)
Plastic bag recycling knowledge is good but more work needs to be done.

In response to these learnings, our ’30 seconds to save the world’ video series highlighted simple actions to prevent contamination, improve the quality of recyclables, and ensure as little as possible is sent to landfill.

We also ran a series of recycling mythbusters to address common recycling misconceptions. This series sparked some good conversation on social platforms, with many users sharing our content with their friends and family.

FACT: Triangle symbols are used to identify the type of plastic but that doesn’t mean it can be recycled through your kerbside bin.

FACT: It’s far less energy intensive to use existing aluminium products than to use virgin resources. Producing 20 cans from recycled materials uses the same power as making just one can from raw materials.

FACT: It’s best to remove lids from bottles before recycling. It helps the recycling facility sort the containers, and ensures the containers are empty.

FACT: Styrofoam and polystyrene is NOT accepted by the majority of councils in Australia. Styrofoam is brittle and breaks apart easily, and the tiny pieces contaminate the other recycling. The best thing is to avoid using it altogether.

What’s next?

With National Recycling Week finished for this year, we’re continuing the discussion around recycling by giving everyone the chance to ask the questions instead. To date, the response to our online poll has been encouraging and we will continue to create useful recycling content to bring us through to next year’s National Recycling Week.

Get MAD with Elli Webb

Learning

August 12, 2017

Tags: Zero waste

Highlights

Cleanaway Waste Education Officer Elli Webb is making a difference by doing a year producing zero waste, aptly named Elli’s MAD or Making A Difference journey. We sat down with her recently to talk MAD, Plastic Free July and avoiding the pitfalls when starting your zero-waste journey.

What is MAD and how long have you been going zero waste?

MAD is Making A Difference. The more I learnt through my role at Cleanaway as Waste Education Coordinator, the more passionate I became about reducing my impact on the earth by reducing my waste. That led me to commit to my zero waste journey this year on 1 March.

Tell us about your sustainable living journey and what inspired you.

I’ve been focusing on sustainable living for approximately 10 years now, but it began very slowly. I was inspired by evidence of climate change and the impact on the environment for future generations.

Elli brought a hand towel to work as she didn’t want to use a hand towel – others have since followed her example

What are the first changes to start with?

Start small – change one thing in your life such as no plastic bags. And REALLY commit to this. You can get a box if you left your cloth bags at home, or put things straight into the trolley, but never use plastic bags again. It takes approximately one month to change a habit, so start small. Once you’ve nailed the new habit of no plastic bags, then start on something else. Things like no plastic straws, buying in bulk, shopping from a list, or always travelling with a reusable cup or water bottle.

What’s your advice for people looking to improve their sustainability efforts?

A big impact sustainability move is to shop at your local farmers markets or shops which provide local produce. Less kilometres travelled means less impact on the environment and helps to create a sustainable future.

Tell us more about your MAD journey. What are the pitfalls and challenges you faced?

It’s important to remember to take one day at a time, and don’t try to cut everything out of your life immediately, or you will fail. Baby steps – change one thing and make that a habit before moving on to changing another habit.

As for myself, I’m happy to say I’ve changed a few habits and they don’t bother me anymore.

I only buying food that is in season. I love apples and when I started my MAD journey they were out of season. But then I tried dragon fruit! If I hadn’t been MAD I would never had discovered them
I avoid ‘instant’ versions of food items – like the convenience of coffee, tea bags, noodles, pasta and canned foods
I wait for the kettle to boil on the stove instead of the instant electric kettle – this took over a month to get used to but now it’s nothing
I find alternatives that are sustainable, waste-free and local

What’s your favourite trick for reducing plastic use?

I look for different packaging options. I also store my food in glass in the pantry. When you buy local produce too, you don’t get the plastic packaging. The toughest plastic items to avoid are toothbrushes and milk bottles.

Transform these single use plastics to multi-use ideas

Learning

August 9, 2017

Tags: Plastic Free July

Highlights

It’s easy to say no (new) single use plastic during Plastic Free July, but what do you do with the various single use plastics you already have or the ones you cannot avoid? The answer is to transform them into multiple use plastics. Here are some ideas on what you can do:

Turn plastic bags into yarn

Plastic bags don’t decompose in nature but they can be turned into plastic yarn, otherwise known as plarn. You can then crochet or knit with them as you do normal yarn, using all your favourite knitting and crochet patterns. Just remember, plastic melts at high temperatures so plarn shouldn’t be used for items like tea cosies or pot holders.

If you’re looking for inspiration, 1Million Women Australia has an excellent tutorial on turning your plarn into sleeping mats for the homeless.

Wash and reuse

Instead of throwing away your plastic take away or deli containers, just give them a wash and use them again. These single use plastics are stronger than you think, and can be used as a spare lunch box or leftover food container should you leave yours at home. They are also excellent containers for nude food.

Reuse plastic lunch bags

If you’ve already bought plastic lunch bags, don’t throw them out. Use them again for tomorrow’s lunch or freeze your leftovers for tomorrow’s meal. You can also use them to store smaller items when you travel, such as toiletries.

Repurpose containers and cutlery

The durability of plastic makes it an excellent craft material. You can repurpose almost every single use plastic item in your home into something gorgeous or functional, such as:

Turning your produce mesh bags into kitchen scrubs
Creating beautiful artworks from plastic bottles and milk jugs
Giving your plastic spoons a second lease on life

These craft ideas are also great family-friendly activities, making them a great opportunity to talk about sustainability with your loved ones and friends.

Making a sustainable future possible requires us to rethink the way we live, and Plastic Free July is a great opportunity to do just that. A small change in your lifestyle can leave a big impact on our environment. Share your journey and your ideas with us online with the hashtags #sustainablefuture and #plasticfreejuly.

Plastic Free July – where it all began

Learning

July 17, 2017

Tags: Plastic Free July

Highlights

Did you know that Plastic Free July originally began in 2011 with only 40 households in Perth?

Plastic Free July began as an initiative by the Earth Carers Waste Education team at the Western Metropolitan Regional Council in Western Australia. It started from a personal, life-transforming insight Plastic Free July co-founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz had when she visited a Material Recovery Facility.

During the trip, Rebecca found the sheer volume of recyclable materials, along with the required sorting effort overwhelming. Her attitude towards recycling, as she recounts on the Two Hands Project blog, went from a feel-good moment to questioning, “why do I have this in the first place and how could I have avoided it?”

And so Plastic Free July was born. The initial action was simple – buying no plastic packaging. In the six years since, the pledge has grown from simply banning plastic packaging to encouraging the stop of all single use disposable plastics.

A key part of Plastic Free July is that there’s no real way to “fail”. It’s about raising awareness and making conscious decisions to avoid single-use plastic. Plastic Free July grew from 40 households in 2011 to 35,000 pledgers in 2015 and to over 1 million people from 130 countries in 2017. Its popularity and growth highlights the increasing awareness and realisation that we all have a part to play in making a sustainable future possible, beginning with simple decisions such as banning the bag, to making healthier food choices and increasing business sustainability rates.

Waste is one of the final frontiers of sustainability, and while Cleanaway is putting a plan in place to recover and reuse as much as possible, reducing the amount of waste produced should be a priority too. Plastic Free July challenges us to rethink our consumption patterns and the waste generated from that consumption.

It’s not too late to sign up for Plastic Free July and take the pledge. Don’t forget to share your journey with us on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #sustainablefuture and #plasticfreejuly.

Making sustainability part of BAU

Learning

July 12, 2017

Tags: Business tips

Highlights

Many of us are finding great ways to build sustainability into our day to day lives, including taking bags with us to the supermarket, maximising our kerbside recycling, and reducing food waste, but are our efforts going to waste in the office?

As businesses turn their attention to sustainability targets, let’s make sure we don’t overlook employee behaviours and office function as an opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle. This Plastic Free July, we’ve got some tips for how you can get that work/life waste balance.

Remove underdesk general waste bins and replace with a dedicated paper and cardboard bin

Centralising general waste to kitchens and common areas has three benefits:

It’s more hygienic as there’s no food waste left to linger in unseen underdesk bins
It’s a great excuse to get up and move when you need to throw your apple core in the bin
You’ll increase the amount of paper and cardboard you’re recycling as the dedicated cardboard bins reduce contamination

Get your facility management company on board

It’s no good carefully sorting your recycling in the office if it’s all being thrown into the same bin at the end of the day. Make sure your facility management company knows about your sustainability goals and is set up to support them. Cleanaway offers collection services for all waste streams, and even offers a dedicated packaging recycling service.

Don’t seal off your recyclables

The fastest way to send your recycling efforts to waste is to tie or seal your recycling in bags. Recycling must be loose when it’s tipped into the truck. Trucks that contain bagged recyclables can be sent to landfill because the plastic bags are considered contamination and can cause an entire truck of recyclable commodities to be rejected by buyers.

Ditch the vending machine for nude food

Instead of restocking the vending machine with plastic wrapped sugary treats, subscribe to a fruit delivery service that will keep your office stocked with healthy snacks that are kind to the body, and the environment.