Reduce what’s in your red lidded bin
Cutting down on plastic is different for everyone. It becomes a lot more difficult when you have a whole household to look after. That’s why we figured we’d ask Tahsin from SustainablySorted another Recycle Hero and working mum of two about how she has managed to reduce plastic in her family home.
How did you only have one bag in your red lidded bin after two weeks?
There are three actions that really helped our family of four to reduce our waste - reducing consumption, recycling better and composting. This wasn't an overnight thing, but nor was it a time consuming or costly process and it hasn't involved sacrifice of any kind - I have focused on actions that allow us to maintain our current lifestyle.
Reducing consumption involves me being more conscious with my purchases - only buying if there is a real need. Things like meal planning, working out the kids wardrobe needs in advance and thinking of ways to reuse items around the home to fulfil a function. Not having to shop so much has been a weight off my shoulders!
Recycling more was key - some in the community may look down on recycling and argue we should be 100% plastic free. But I have to be realistic - I'm living in the suburbs of Sydney, there is no bulk food store nearby, my family is accustomed to a certain way of living and invariably there is waste. But a lot of this waste can be recycled. And I discovered there is a lot that can be recycled beyond what the council accepts in the yellow bin, as you know.
Composting was a key change I made last year. It's been a bit of a learning curve but once you have a system going it's effortless.
What are some small changes people can make to reduce their plastic consumption that they might not know about?
More and more items are being sold in our supermarkets that provide an alternative to plastic products -
Bamboo toothbrushes
Period cups or period undies
Steel clothing pegs
Compostable Band-Aids.
There are easy ways to avoid plastic packaging by…
Purchasing soap, shampoo and conditioner bars
Using reusable bags (including produce bags, which you can find in the fruit and veggie aisle if you look).
A lot of people aren't aware of these options because they haven't been brought up to use these items, but they exist and it's not too much of a shock to the system to adopt these swaps.
Something people might not know about are laundry sheets. They haven't hit the supermarket shelves yet but I hope they do.
Laundry sheets take the ingredients needed to clean clothes and compresses it to a paper-like sheet. They are packaged in paper, so you save on plastic there. They are so easy to use and no matter what brand I try, my clothes come out clean. It's worth looking it up and giving it a try.
What advice do you have for parents who are hoping to teach their children about sustainability?
There are so many different ways to approach this - getting them out in nature to appreciate our environment is key. Getting them involved with activities that relate to sustainability helps, such as sorting out recycling, turning the compost, repairing broken equipment.
But the best thing you can do is lead by example because that's how they will pick things up they will carry forward in life.
