The way things are going I'm worried earth is going to end up like the movie WALL-E, where humans were driven off earth because it was unsustainable to live there anymore. People were consuming at a fast pace without thought, while the earth was piled up with mountains of rubbish until nothing would grow anymore. The mountains of rubbish in the movie looked the the recycling piles that are growing in New Zealand right now - have a look at this, we can't ignore it so easily when it's on our back doorstep!
We've all be sucked into the consumer age but we need to try and get ourselves out of it for the sake of the planet and future generations! This first blog in my 'waste pyramid' blogs is about refusing waste. This is the first thing we need to think about when we purchase items and we need to be asking questions of ourselves before we buy things. We need to refuse wastage!
Before Purchasing Ask Ourselves:
- Do I really need a new ...? Can we do without it?
- Could I get the old one fixed rather than replace it?
- Could I buy second hand?
- Could I borrow from someone, if it is something I don't use often?
When Purchasing Always:
- Consider the less packaged option, refuse over-packaged items
- Choose items that you can get parts for and can be fixed if broken or refilled/reused
- Refuse single use plastic, styrofoam, etc
- Refuse plastic! We'll have more on this over plastic free July but some tips are:Choose items in glass, paper, and cardboard over plastic
- Take your own re-usable coffee cup when getting a takeaway coffee
- Carry a reusable non-plastic drink bottle
- Take your own containers to takeway places you know will use plastic or styrofoam
- Store containers, reusable utensils, straws, etc in your car for meals on the go
- Choose skin and haircare in bar form, in tin or glass over plastic bottles
- Always have reusable shopping bags in your car/s and in your handbag
- Use reusable containers, paper or wax wraps for school/work lunches.
Photo is of Huntly Transfer Station photo from https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikat...
