How to reduce your rubbish

Donate things people can use

Give unwanted clothes, books, toys, magazines and furniture to charity organisations. These items will be given or sold to raise funds for people in need.

Put things inside the charity bin, not outside it.

Swap and share goods and services

Swap and share goods and services to reduce waste to landfill and save resources. There are now several online groups to help keep quality, used items circulating, share skills, save money and reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

• Freecycle is an online email network for donating and finding free secondhand goods. There are groups around the world.
• Freally, Ziilch and Yoink are online web based systems for donating and finding free secondhand goods. Notifications are only sent for items you are interested in. Freally and Yoink link to Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter to simplfy the process of giving and receiving.
• The Swap Exchange is a network for bartering goods, services, skills, information and goodwill. Members use the system of barter to replace unwanted goods with things they need or to access professional services.
• The Sharehood is an online community for sharing resources within your neighbourhood and meeting people in your local area. Members share items such as sewing machines, vegetables, wheelbarrows, tools, cars, books, washing machines and computers. Skills can be shared too: gardening help, bike fixing, accountancy, language skills, childminding, how to use a sewing machine or a computer, how to make wine or dance the tango.

Take a reusable bag

Take a green bag or reuse plastic shopping bags.

Choose recycled products at home and work

Paper, toilet paper and tissues are some common recycled items for the home. Sustainability Victoria’s Waste Wise Shopping Guide has a list of many kinds of recycled products from dog kennels to recycled sign boards.

Recycle a product or its packaging

Use glass containers or steel cans as storage containers. Put cardboard boxes into your recycling bin. 

Get a compost bin for food scraps

Instead of throwing them out, put food scraps in a compost bin. Council sells subsidised compost bins and offers free delivery to Moreland residents.

Get a worm farm for food scraps

Kids love feeding worms and watching them multiply. CERES, nurseries and hardware stores sells worm farms and worms.

Use a green waste bin

Get Council to collect your green waste . Council collects branches, grass clippings and leaves from a green waste bin every two weeks. Some transfer stations also take green waste.

Use your green waste as mulch

Up to 50 per cent of our waste at home is green waste. Putting mulch on your garden can reduce water loss through evaporation by up to 75 per cent. Some green waste can also go in a compost bin.

Learn more about the true cost of stuff

To find out more about the harmful environmental and social impacts of the way we currently produce, consume and dispose of material goods visit The Secret Life of Things and The Story of Stuff , two online resources that expose the hidden environmental impacts of everyday items.