Reduce your food waste

Australia’s increasing food waste is becoming an epidemic that is impacting the environment and economy. Over 5 million tonnes of food is discarded annually. Not just from households, but along the whole supply chain from farms to transport, manufacturing and supermarkets costing the Australian economy over $20 billion annually.  

The government has committed to reducing half of Australia’s food waste by 2030, and you can help by reducing your household food waste. Most household food waste occurs due to incorrect storage. Start by reducing the waste of the top five wasted foods as discovered by OZ Harvest.

BREAD

Prevent bread from going stale or mouldy by storing it in the freezer. If bread becomes stale, use it to make bread pudding, French toast, crotons or dumplings. Avoid plastic bread bag waste by using a reusable bread bag. 

BAGGED SALAD
Reduce plastic and food waste by purchasing whole salad vegetables and make a salad from scratch, opposed to bagged salad. Use The Swag to keep produce fresher for longer.

POTATOES
Reduce food waste by storing potatoes correctly. Don’t wash potatoes until you are ready to use them. Keep them away from direct sunlight and store in a cool, dry and dark place. Hessian Produce Bags help to prolong the life of potatoes by absorbing moisture and allowing air flow. 

BANANAS
If you don’t like eating over-ripe bananas, don’t discard them. Freeze them to use later in a smoothie, banana bread, muffins, ice-cream, in porridge or pancakes. Full Circle ZipTuck Reusable Bags are a great zero waste solution for storing over-ripe bananas in the freezer.

MEAT
If you eat meat, it’s important to check the use-by date to ensure you store it correctly for use. If you aren’t going to eat the meat before its use-by date, freeze it. Meat can be stored safely in the freezer for up to six months.

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The 5 R’s to zero waste

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot

Every item we use has an environmental cost - some greater than others. We can all make a difference by being mindful of the waste we generate. Review your lifestyle by using the five R’s to manage your waste. Start implementing these small changes into your daily routine and you will discover just how easy it is to live sustainably.

Refuse

Every purchasing choice you make is a vote for the world you want. Think carefully about the environmental impacts of all purchases. Start refusing things you don’t need and say no to single use disposable items that end up in landfill such as plastic bags, water bottles, straws and coffee cups.

Reduce

Review your lifestyle and find ways to reduce your consumption and save resources. Can you stop junk mail and paper deliveries, reduce power usage or eliminate lunch box waste? Be mindful about your actions and realistic about your purchases. Buy quality products that will last a lifetime and start taking action to reduce daily waste. 

Reuse

Start reusing and repairing items instead of buying brand new. Replace single use products with reusables - swap paper towels for fabric cloths; plastic food wrap for beeswax wraps; and single use batteries for rechargeable batteries. Save money and waste by mending broken items or find a new purpose for items that can’t be repaired.

Recycle

Maintain a closed loop system by recycling as much as you can. Use external recycling facilities that accept hard to recycle items that cannot be recycled by your curb side collection program such as light bulbs, batteries, electronics and soft plastics. Visit Planet Ark’s Recycling Near You website to find alternative recycling services.

Rot

Composting your food scraps not only provides you with nutrient rich fertiliser for your garden, it also helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by landfill. Instead of discarding food scraps in the general waste bin add them to a compost heap, bokashi bin, worm farm or community compost bin.

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Six World Environment Day tips that can make a difference

Small Everyday Changes Everyone Can Make That Will Have a Huge Impact

With World Environmental Day right around the corner, thoughts turn to how to save the planet and reduce our collective negative impact on the environment. While that sounds like a monumental task, TerraCycle, the company that specialises in recycling the ‘non-recyclable’, has six easy suggestions that can help you start making changes. 

TerraCycle is an international recycling and upcycling company that takes hard-to-recycle packaging and turns it into affordable, innovative products. The zero waste recycling bins are collection points for designated waste items that are not usually recycled by council services. This diverts the items from landfill, giving them a second life through TerraCycle’s specialist services in recycling and re-purposing materials. 

Six World Environment Day tips that can change the world

1. Recycle wisely – Australians are keen to recycle; 98 per cent of Australian households get behind it. What about toothbrushes, coffee capsules and cosmetics – waste that doesn’t go in the recycling bin? Brands like L’Oréal, Colgate and NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto have partnered with TerraCycle to make their products nationally recyclable through free recycling programs, open to all Australians. Solutions for ‘non-recyclable’ items – from batteries to X-rays – can be found at Recycling Near You.

2. Carry a reusable water bottle – It’s no secret disposable bottles are bad for the environment. Nearly one million plastic bottles are bought every minute around the world and less than half of those bottles are recycled. Fortunately, reusable water bottles come in every shape, colour, material and size – there is sure to be one that fits your lifestyle. Make this the year you switch.

3. Become a coffee cup warrior – Remember when ABC’s War on Waste filled a Melbourne tram with 50,000 disposable coffee cups? That’s the number thrown away by Australians every 30 minutes. Slash that statistic by grabbing a KeepCup or BYO kitchen mug to your local takeaway.

4. Choose products with sustainable packaging – Send a message to manufacturers that sustainable packaging matters by purchasing products with packaging that can be refilled, reused, recycled or upcycled and reduce the nearly eight million metric tonnes of plastic that end up in our oceans each year.

5. Invest in sustainable businesses – Use your money to make a difference by investing in companies that adhere to a triple bottom-line business model of being socially, environmentally and financially aware. Green-thinkers worldwide can now invest in TerraCycle US, through its recently authorised $25 million Regulation A offering.

6. Have reusable bag; will travel – We’ve all heard of reusable grocery bags, why not take it a step further and use a linen or hemp bag for all your shopping and errands. This simple change would help reduce the 9.7 billion single-use plastic bags Australians use every year. 

Recycling at Biome with TerraCycle

Biome Eco Stores currently offer a complimentary in store 'end of life' TerraCycle recycling program to all Biome customers.

What we can recycle for you at Biome:

1. Cosmetic, skin care and hair care packaging*

2. Packaging from in-store purchases

3. Pens, pencils, markers and highlighters

4. Wine corks

5. CDs, cassettes, memory sticks and other data storage

6. Toothbrush and toothpaste packaging*

*All containers must be completely cleaned out for us to take them from you.

TerraCycle for the workplace

You can purchase TerraCycle recycling bins for your workplace or organisation from Biome. The bins are a perfect closed-loop solution for any workplace where used items accumulate including home offices, tuck shops, schools, small businesses and community groups. Choose bins for recycling coffee capsules, office supplies, pens, snack wrappers, mailing labels and tape, CDs and more.

Purchase TerraCycle Boxes at Biome. 

To learn more about TerraCycle or to recycle in its free recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.au. Those interested in investing in TerraCycle US, Inc. should visit www.ownterracycle.com.

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15 simple environmental initiatives to change the world

 

We all have the power as individuals to create significant, positive and lasting change. Here are 15 simple environmental initiatives you can do today to help make the world a better place tomorrow.

1. Join 1 Million Women movement and take practical action on climate change in your everyday lives to cut pollution, reduce waste, save energy and lead change.
2. Take 3 For The Sea – take 3 pieces of rubbish when you leave the beach, waterway or anywhere!
3. Plastic Free July – Go plastic free in July and try to continue it throughout the year.
4. Join the Don’t Palm Us Off campaign - advocate for mandatory palm oil labelling in Australia by sending an email to your premier.
5. Spread awareness – it’s free! Talk to family and friends about our current environmental issues and encourage them to live more sustainably.
6. Clean up Australia Day – volunteer to pick up rubbish from an area near your home or office.
7. Quit single use plastics – stop using single use plastics and choose reusable products instead.
8. Plant a tree on National Tree Day or any day!
9. Compost your kitchen and garden waste – Composing reduces landfill waste and greenhouse gasses.
10. Reduce your food miles - buy organic and seasonal produce from local producers.
11. Shop palm oil free – Use Palm Oil Investigation’s barcode scanner app to check the ingredients in a product or shop palm oil free with confidence at Biome Eco Stores.
12. Leave the car at home – take public transport, cycle or walk.
13. Reduce food waste – plan your meals, only buy what you need and eat leftovers.
14. Meat Free Monday – reduce your weekly meat consumption by eating vegetarian or vegan meals on Monday.
15. Reduce, reuse and recycle – actively take part in reducing your waste, reusing what you can before purchasing new, and recycling what you can.

The collective power of individual actions can create significant change!

 

 

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