20 Ways to Reduce Rubbish at Home
Learn Tips From The Experts

Help Save Our Planet

One of the worst crisis that our planet has been facing for years is trash. Every year, we produced two billion tons of  solid waste worldwide.

While there have been efforts to minimize waste in various industries, it is still not enough. Also, we shouldn’t be stopping from finding ways to reduce waste in our own homes.

Controlling rubbish at home can be intimidating because it involves little lifestyle changes, But you shouldn’t let that stop you.

Simone Lamb from Pro Rubbish Removal in Brisbane helped us put a small list of how you can reduce rubbish in your home. Give a try to a few and see which one works best for you.

1. Avoid buying stuff 

One of the best ways to reduce rubbish at home is to avoid buying plenty of stuff. If you purchase new items, there will be a plastic or paper bag, a box, or a container that you would need to dispose of. So, limit the things you buy. Don’t buy unnecessary items  or things that you really don’t need at the moment or in the near future. Be contented with what you have.

2. Buy food staples in bulk

Buying food staples in small quantities may be contributing factor to the rubbish coming from your home. When you purchase in smaller packaging, you’ll end up with multiple pieces of packaging, which would mostly be plastic. Buying food staples in bulk and keeping them in resealable containers can be the best move. It will not just help you reduce waste but it will also save you money.

3. Say no to food and beverages wrapped in plastic

Plenty of food is wrapped in plastic nowadays, contributing to high amounts of rubbish accumulation in many homes. Typically, most of the waste you can find in a bin is plastic. As much as possible, minimize the use of disposable plastic bags or containers. If you can, use recyclable contains for your food and tumblers for your drinks.

4. Have a recycling plan for your home items

Collect and clean all the recyclable items like plastic bottles, glass jars, and others. Find creative ways so you can repurpose these items inside your home or in your yard. If you really can’t find ways to recycle these items, give them to rubbish collectors and recycling companies. They can surely find a way to make use of those items.

5. Consider a cotton or fiber bag for groceries

When going outside to shop in supermarkets or anywhere, consider bringing eco-friendly,  reusable cloth shopping bags.

6. Do outdoor composting

If you are into gardening, you might want to consider composting. Food waste is the main type of waste that households produce daily. Having proper outdoor composting will basically put food waste into good use. Composting will not only reduce the waste coming from your home but it will make your plants grow healthier.

7. Say no to single-use plastic items

As you know already by now, plastic waste is not good for the environment. So, try your best to avoid using plastic, especially the ones you know you will throw away after single use. If you are the type who loves to buy take-out food, refuse plastic straws, cups, and cutlery. Instead, use your own cutlery from home, recyclable water bottles, and stainless steel straws.

8. Take broken gadgets to recycling centres

Get rid of broken electronic gadgets responsibly. Take it to companies that offer legit recycling services. They will dispose old and broken electronics in way that is safe for the environment.

9. Go paperless

Paper rubbish is quite common in many home offices. Conducting your office work with no papers may seem strange at first but can significantly reduce paper rubbish in your home. All you should do is embrace and integrate modern technology such as a computer in your home office.

10. Buy from local farms

Getting your fresh groceries from local farmers can be another best way to help reduce rubbish at home. The packaging is at the minimum. And the good thing is that you can use your shopping bag and reduce garbage at home.

Get fresh food from local farms

11. Find a way for cartons and boxes to be reused

Do you have a stock of reusable cartons and boxes such as berry and egg cartons in your home? If yes, empty your space and reduce such trash by returning such reusable cartons to the local market vendors for reuse.

12. Manage your newspaper and magazine subscriptions

For newspaper and magazine enthusiasts, it is obvious to find their homes filled with these reading materials. Go digital with your subscriptions to reduce rubbish in your home.

13. Reduce mails

If you are still receiving lots of paper mails from various subscriptions, check whether you still need those subscriptions of if they have paperless or digital options.

14. Find alternatives to your paper towels

Paper towels are versatile as in your home. For example, in your kitchen. However, if you use too much of these, it can generate a lot of paper waste product. Therefore, it would be wise to minimize the use of paper towels. If possible, just use kitchen towels or dish cloth.

15. Use diapers made from cloth and napkins

Disposable diapers may be the most convenient for you and your little one. However, it contributes to the waste that comes from your home to the land fills. There are a lot of cloth diapers now that are not just reusable but they come in different designs as well and they can be adjusted so your babies can use it for several months.

16. Go for e-books

E-books offer users the best way to enjoy their reading without posing any negative impact on the environment. Above all, they are convenient, portable, and more efficient than paper books. So, choosing to read e-books can incredibly help reduce paper rubbish in your home.

17. Use a handkerchief

Find yourself cotton or cloth-made handkerchief to serve you and reduce paper waste. Handkerchiefs are certainly more eco-friendly than tissue papers. You might need more time getting used to this. But think of all the money you will save from not buying tissue paper.

18. Use rechargeable batteries

Aside from minimizing waste, another good thing about rechargeable batteries is that you will save money from not buying more batteries in the future.

19. Donate your old clothes and items to charities

Do you have old clothes or other items sitting in your wardrobe? If you do and if they are still usable, don’t throw them. Instead, donate them to charities. Aside from doing a good deed, you will have more space in your closet. More importantly, you reduce your trash at home.

20. Choose to borrow instead of buying new items

There’s no need to buy something that you will only use once or something that you won’t use for a long time. For instance, camping and sporting equipment, and folding chairs and tables. Instead, you can opt to borrow such things to help reduce waste accumulation at home.

Conclusion

There a lot of ways to reduce the rubbish in your life and at home. Start with the ones that you are most comfortable with and slowly incorporate the ones that need a little getting used to.