Reduce and reuse waste

According to The Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average Australian creates just over 2,000kgs of waste each year. Each household spends $1,266 on goods purchased but were never used. Around $600 worth of food is wasted by each household every year. This includes waste from our kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and our gardens. Although we've made great improvements in our waste disposal habits over recent years, there are still lots of ways we can do more.

Some Useful household tips to reduce and reuse waste:

• Reduce the amount of packaging you buy. Look for products without packaging and avoid individually wrapped portions
• Favour products with a high recycled content
• Buy in bulk, or choose concentrated products in reusable containers.
• Donate unwanted clothes and or household goods to charities or your local Transfer Station to be resold at the Buyback Shop.
• Give old magazines and books to nursing homes, charities, schools, hospitals etc.
• Compost your food waste to create a mulch. This will improve soil structure and texture and promote aeration which increases the soil's water-holding capacity.