As Australians we are some of the largest waste contributors in the world. It is estimated that each Australian family produces enough waste to fill a three bedroom house – gross! While waiting for better waste management and recycling processes to be implemented by governments Kassia Aksenov finds products you can invest in to reduce your own waste.
Keepcup
As Inner Westies we love our coffee… we’re also so damn busy, always on the go, meaning that we opt for takeaway cups. In Australia, over one billion disposable coffee cups end up in landfill each year. Even the paper cups are not as recyclable and eco friendly as we are led to believe and are lined with a plastic layer inside. The solution: a Keepcup! Yes, Keepcups are still made of plastic, however they are lightweight, unbreakable, dishwasher safe, have a life cycle of up to three years and are recyclable afterwards.
To purchase one visit About Life, 605 Darling street, Rozelle.
Reusable produce bags
By now everyone is well aware of reusable shopping bags as an alternative to plastic bags, though plastic bags still somehow creep their way into our shopping baskets. Reusable produce bags can hold up to 2kg of produce, are machine washable and extremely lightweight – perfect for supermarket scales.
Visit biome.com.au/95-shopping-bags to view products in this range.
Food wraps
Cling film and aluminium foil are other products we find ourselves reaching for when prepping food in the kitchen. Reusable food wraps made from natural materials such as bees wax and hemp can be used instead. These products will last over a year if used properly, avoiding contact with heat and cleaned well.
To purchase visit biome.com.au/676-food-wrap-covers
Reusable nappies
Young families produce more waste than any other type of household. This can largely be attributed to nappies with two billion going to Australian landfill each year. Luckily there are easy to use reusable nappies on the market that have improved greatly since our grandparents’ day. Real Nappies consist of a machine washable cover and cotton insert with an optional flushable insert. These can be a little bulky on bub but they don’t leak and have huge savings of over $1000 per year compared with disposable nappies.
To find out more visit real-nappies.com.au/
Menstrual cups
A woman uses around 12,000 pads and tampons in her lifetime, contributing 120kg of waste to landfill. Experts say that menstrual cups can take three to four cycles for a woman to get used to, can be a little messy upon insertion and extraction though these small cups will last up to 10 years, can be left in for 12 hours and you only need one!
To see what is on offer visit itcouldbebetter.com.au/buy-products/
Words by Kassia Aksenov