COVID-19 Waste Information and Tips

We understand that your family might be  spending more time at home at the moment, which may result in a higher generation of food waste or recycling. We have included some tips and ideas below to help you during periods of isolation due to COVID-19.

Tips on Reducing Your Waste and Recycling

Recyclables

• Tissues, cardboard, shredded paper, paper hand towels and napkins can all go into your lime green-lidded FOGO bin. Just remove any plastic labels and tape from cardboard first
• Empty hand sanitiser bottles can go into your recycling bin, just make sure you take off the lids and put in your red-lidded general waste bin, along with any used disinfectant wipes
• Reuse washed takeaway containers as stackable containers for frozen food
• Reuse glass jars to store food or other items, or pass them on to friends or community groups who make jams

Soft Plastics

• Plastic bags and soft plastics, including pasta and rice bags, shopping bags, net bags, cling and bubble wrap can be collected separately in a bin, box or reusable shopping bag and dropped in a REDcycle bin located at Coles and Woolworths. For more information visit www.redcycle.net.au

Food

• Check what’s in the fridge before going shopping, write a shopping list and plan your next meals around what needs to be eaten. Put things in the freezer if you aren’t able to eat them soon enough
• Use the Foodwise Recipe Finder to help you use up food that you already have in your kitchen and fridge
• Look at clever ways to reuse items – i.e. games or crafts for the kids to keep them entertained at home
• Resist the temptation to buy two food items for the price of one unless it will be eaten quickly, can be frozen or has a long shelf-life
• A lot of packaging can be avoided or recycled. Fresh food doesn't need packaging and can be placed in your own reusable bags. Rigid (hard) plastics, tins, paper, aluminium foil, cardboard and drink containers can all go in your recycling bin

Avoid

• Avoid single-use, disposable packaging, for example, plastic bags, plastic wrap, and polystyrene
• Use reusable food containers, lunch boxes, water/drink bottles, straws and beeswax wraps
• When purchasing large appliances or bulky items, ask the retailer to take away the packaging from the new item
• Avoid disposable coffee pods or capsules. You can use refillable coffee capsules that you can continue to fill with your favourite coffee blends, or use a waste free alternative like a French Press or Moka Pot
• Avoid junk mail. Place or make a 'No advertising material' or 'No junk mail' label on your letterbox

Clothing

• Donate unwanted clothing and other goods in reasonable condition to non-profit organisations, charity stores or charity clothing bins
• Use modern cloth nappies, which are reusable, washable nappies made from modern fabrics which are shaped to fit like disposable nappies -without the waste! Find out more about our cloth nappy workshops and rebate

Reuse and Repurpose

• Use rechargeable batteries
• Become a 'green cleaner' and make your own environmentally-friendly household cleaning products, for example: all-purpose cleaner, clothes and dishwashing liquids
• Join a buy, sell or swap group and offer items that you no longer want to keep, but might be useful to someone else in the community. Consider checking these groups before buying a brand new item

COVID-19 Waste Frequently Asked Questions