Information for Yarra residents on reducing waste with tips on buying clothing and how plastic and food products can be reused, recycled or re-purposed.
The choices we make can make a big difference.
We are consuming and producing waste at a rate that is not sustainable for our environment.
Buying cheap, disposable, single-use products is a big part of the problem – they take time and use valuable resources to produce, only to end up in landfill.
By choosing clothing, plastic and food products that can be reused, recycled or re-purposed we can reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment.
What you can do to reduce waste
- Join the City of Yarra’s 12-week online food waste challenge - you will receive fortnightly emails with tips for reducing food waste.
- Refuse single-use plastics such as plastic bags, coffee cups, straws, water bottles and takeaway containers. Use your reusable coffee cup and takeaway containers instead.
- Choose products that aren’t disposable and can be reused in the future.
- Opt for products with low or no packaging.
- Borrow, rent, loan or share resources – if you can avoid buying new clothes, toys and electronics, it can make a big difference.
- Shop second hand to give pre-loved items a new life and support the local economy – try online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and Ebay.
- Plan your meals and create shopping lists to reduce what you throw away – while composting is great for unavoidable scraps, minimising food waste in the first place is crucial.
- Support local businesses that say YES to zero waste – there are many products, services and businesses in the City of Yarra that are committed to zero waste. Check our Circular Economy Map to find them.
Plastics, clothing and food waste are three common waste streams contributing to landfill. We can all take simple actions to help reduce waste.
Click on each of the waste streams below for tips and tricks.
It is estimated Australians throw away over 2.7 million coffee cups every day! These end up in landfill and are costly and resources intensive to recycle.
Refusing single-use plastic packaging and switching to reusable alternatives is the best way to reduce your plastic waste footprint.
- Bring your own reusable shopping bags and help reduce plastic waste. Try storing them in your car or near the door so you don’t forget them.
- Refuse pre-packed fruit and vegetables. Look for the non-wrapped alternative for carrots, tomatoes, avocados and lettuce.
- Ditch the plastic produce bag and switch to a reusable cloth alternative.
- Take your reusable containers to the butcher, fish shop, deli or bakery.
- Buy your grains, nuts and pantry staples in bulk.
- Bring your own reusable coffee cup or dine in at your local café.
- BYO takeaway container when getting food to go.
- Refuse plastic straws or bring a BYO reusable alternative like metal or bamboo straws.
- BYO reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic ones.
- Talk to your local café about their plastic packaging and encourage them to join Responsible Cafés.
- Buy your cleaning supplies in bulk or refill them with reusable containers. Wild Things Food, Piedimontes Supermarket and The Source Bulk Foods all have refill facilities.
- Store your leftovers and pantry food in reusable containers and ditch the cling wrap. Bees wax wraps are also an excellent option!
- Ditch the plastic bin liner. Wrap up ‘icky’ stuff in newspaper and then wash out your bin when needed.
Did you know Australians buy an average of 27kgs of new clothing and textiles each year and throw away 23kgs into landfill? Most of the discarded garments are synthetic/plastic fibres that may never breakdown.
Reducing how much we consume is the easiest way to minimise waste. This means thinking twice before we buy something new and reassessing how we buy, what and why.
Rethink buying for one-off occasions
- Consider swapping or borrowing from friends, family members or hiring instead
- There are many places in the City of Yarra where you can hire, such as Rose Chong’s Costumier
Buy local, buy second-hand clothing
- There are lots of vibrant local businesses who reuse or repurpose clothing. To discover a few, check the Zero Waste Map.
Care, repair and reuse your clothing
- Invest in small repairs to make your clothing last longer, or bring clothes back to life. Try Felix Shoe Repair and Alter it for help.
Recycle your unwanted clothing
- To find your closest clothing recycling service visit Planet Ark's Recycling Near You website.
Reducing food waste will save you money and lessen your impact on the environment.