A Year in Review
AS OUR one-year anniversary writing this column for the Whitsundays News approaches, we wanted to share some of our major discoveries.
To Be Thoughtful About What We Consume
Questions we ask ourselves:
Do we love it?
Do we need it?
If we need to dispose of this item, are there multiple options to avoid landfill?
Zero Waste Isn’t Always Pretty
Unrealistic expectations help nobody. Like the fake filters on social media, your pantry does not need to be insta-ready.
Perhaps your pathway to Zero Waste is an eclectic assortment of containers, or experimenting with different approaches to sorting, storing and handling waste.
We are always fine tuning our approach to find the most effective, time efficient and simple method to reduce landfill.
Zero Waste Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
Small steps frequently add up to big changes; using reusable shopping bags most of the time, taking a keep cup or refillable water bottle to use in daily life, and supporting local growers when purchasing produce.
Ultimately, we would love to see 100 per cent participation in composting and recycling, and a ‘make do and mend’ centre in the Whitsundays.
To help us achieve this, contact your local representatives to voice your support for zero waste initiatives, and join our conversation online.
With technology at our fingertips, researching alternatives to minimise waste is easily accessible, or create your own system.
Zero Waste Is Not About Perfection
After recently moving countries without furniture, it’s been a massive time of transition.
Not knowing where our permanent place will be, and not wanting to buy short-term pieces we may not end up wanting long-term, has been a Zero Waste conundrum.
The current and, so far successful, approach has been to acquire functional pieces via Marketplace, and, in the process, meet some lovely people in our community.
These items may have a use in our permanent home or be placed in an advert on Marketplace when we replace or upgrade. This enables us to take our time to buy quality, sustainable items.
Zero Waste starts with you, with me, with every individual.
‘We don’t need a handful of people doing Zero Waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.’ Anne Marie Bonneau, The Zero Waste Chef.
We would love to see you at facebook.com/zerowastewhitsundays.
By co-Founders Karen Jacobsen and Lucy Smith
