The ocean is essential to our life on earth. It provides food for the world and livelihood to more than 4 billion people.
The ocean is essential to our life on earth. It provides food for the world and livelihood to more than 4 billion people.
We’re excited to be supporting The New Joneses who are on a mission for sustainability with explainers on climate change and how we can all be part of the solution. Each episode features local heroes sharing ‘one thing’ we can all do to protect the planet we love and live on.
Seeing first hand the impact of our actions on biodiversity in the bay, Sheree Marris wants us to aim for zero waste, avoid single-use plastics and recycle right.
Only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled. We need to dramatically reduce the amount we use.
Not only is the plastic ending up in our oceans and environment. It’s ending up in US.
On average, we ingest about one credit card’s worth of plastic a week.
Recycle right and precious resources can be made into something new.
Recycle wrong and we waste the resources that made the packaging in the first place.
Recycle Right with ‘four bins’.
1. RECYCLING = paper/cardboard. glass. tin, hard plastics (milk cartons etc.)
Keep these empty, dry, clean + UNBAGGED (no plastic bags ever in recycle)
2. FOOD SCRAPS Do everything to keep food scraps from the bin.
Some councils accept food scraps in the food and garden organics (FOGO) bin. Check yours.
Set up your compost or worm bin to keep these nutrients from landfill where they harm (creating methane, a toxic gas) + get them into the soil where they heal. (Healthy soil draws more carbon out of the atmosphere.)
3. SOFT PLASTICS. Scrunchable chip, lollie + cereal packets go to the supermarket soft plastics bin to get made into new things!
4. LANDFILL – Aim for this bad-boy to be your smallest bin. It’s the stuff we can’t reuse (polystyrene, broken crockery, ceramics, pyrex used tissues, nappies, wipes)
TIPS:
– “It’s only one straw!” said 8 billion people…everything counts.
– Avoid single use packaging. Remember your reusable bag, coffee cup, water bottle.
– Make it easy with 4 separate, clearly labeled bins (as above.)
– Keep recycling loose. Never bagged.
– Textiles in good condition go to charity, repurpose OR landfill.
– Flatten cardboard to maximise space.
– Food + liquids contaminate other stuff in the bin. Empty containers first.
– E-waste (electrical + batteries) start fires! (Check council, Officeworks or supermarket for drop-offs.)
– Look for packaging that’s recyclable, reusable or compostable;
PS: If in doubt, leave it out. We can’t unscramble the egg, so avoid “wish-cycling” (wish-cycling is doing it wrong + wishing the magic recycling fairy will separate it for you. She won’t.)
Visit https://www.thenewjoneses.com/ for more information and contact us to learn more about how we’re making a sustainable future possible for communities and businesses across Australia.