WE'RE ON A WASTE REDUCTION JOURNEY... HOW ABOUT YOU?
Did you see the recent ABC program, War on Waste? If you didn't you would be one of the few. The program announced to the nation that its waste is growing at double the rate of the population with 52 mega tonnes generated a year. Australia is ranked 5th highest for generating the most municipal waste in the world.
Growing up we didn't waste much because the chooks got the fruit and vegetable scraps, the dogs got the dinner left overs, we would wash-out and line-dry plastic bags and when my mother cooked meals for the family she wouldn't use the oven unless she had a batch of anzac biscuits or breakfast cereal ready to bake after she'd turned the oven off so she didn't waste the heat in the oven.
But then things started to change because the world of convenience, fast pace, stress and high density living, gave us little time to reuse. The packaging in the major supermarkets has gone mad. Do we really need a non-recyclable plastic tray with non-recyclable plastic wrapper to accompany 2 avocados from the supermarket shelf to the home pantry? No, we don’t!
Thankfully, we’re seeing an ever increasing drive to reduce waste and as a coffee roaster we have a crucial role in cutting back on waste. We started our waste reduction journey in July 2004 when we replaced the use of plastic bags with reusable calico cloth bags for the purpose of delivering coffee to the cafés, restaurants, clubs and hotels who serve our coffee. Alone, this small change would remove more than 20,000 plastic bags per year from landfill, oceans, drains, etc.
More recently we have introduced the BYO cup. We all get caught needing the occasional emergency beverage, but we think byo cup is an easy daily adjustment to make. Surely even the zero waste folks can name a time when they were caught unexpectedly sans water bottle or coffee cup and had to accept a disposable cup/bottle instead but, being prepared for your daily coffee is just a matter of having your reusable cup with you and washing it up afterwards.
BYO jar - bring your jar, canister or produce pack into the roastery and we will weigh it and fill it with the desired amount of coffee beans or grounds.
Don't trash it! Repair it! Coffee machines can be repaired. If your commercial machine isn't working or if want to buy a refurbished second hand machine give us a call. Or if your domestic machine (Delonghi, Breville, Saeco, Sunbeam etc) needs repairing contact Bravo Repair Centre in St Peters.
Here's some easy to do tips and ideas from various waste reducing bloggers
- Bring your own reusable cup to your local cafe or sit in and sip instead.
- Buy in bulk whenever possible especially at your local coffee roaster.
- Low-waste grocery shopping such as using reusable shopping bags and produce bags and shop with an eye for packaging, try to buy only products with minimal or recyclable packaging.
- Compost your kitchen scraps or try worm composting for those without a garden.
- Go paperless in your kitchen.
- Eat whole foods, not packaged ones.
- Make your own simple cleaning supplies, or buy ones that are concentrated.
- Buy used stuff whenever possible (especially children’s items).
- Have less stuff (and experience the wonderful freedom of an uncluttered world)
- Buy reusable water bottles, rather than buying water in disposable bottles.
- Learn to creatively re-purpose things you don’t need anymore.
- Before recycling household paper, turn it into note-sized paper for grocery lists, to-do’s, etc.
- When something is broken, try to repair it before buying a replacement.
- If you must use disposables, try sustainable and earth-friendly varieties.
- Use rechargeable batteries.
- Use a battery operated razor (or at least use razors with replaceable heads, rather than disposables).
- Choose to have your bills and bank statements sent to you online, instead of by mail.
- Have your printer ink cartridges refilled instead of purchasing new ones.
- Consider your current recycling habits and see if there’s anything else you could add to what you’re already doing.
- If you need an item for a short time only, see if you can borrow it from someone.
- Get a reusable coffee filter to replace your paper filters - like the bodum pour over
- Use loose leaf teas with a french press instead of tea bags.
- Save and reuse all gift bags and tissue paper from gifts that you receive.
- Make your own baby food.
- Give away or sell things you don’t need.