Tips on How to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (+ Examples)

Books you have not read for many years. Clothes that are now out of style. Kitchenware that’s been sitting in your cabinet unused and unloved. These are just some types of rubbish that you can commonly find at home.

While you can hire a skip bin in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast to get rid of your rubbish, it’s always good for Mother Earth to reduce, reuse, and recycle things to prevent your local landfill from overflowing. Plus, reevaluating the things you were planning to throw away is a good way to reduce the amount of rubbish you were going to load in the skip bin, thereby saving you money.

Here are some of the ways you can reduce, reuse, and recycle, plus some examples that you can do at home.

Refuse

  • The first step to reducing the amount of waste we add to the landfill and to maximise every inch available in the skip bin is to refuse every waste that comes your way. Don’t accept flyers, and souvenirs that will only end up in your rubbish bin. Don’t sign up for paper catalogs and always refuse junk mail.

Reduce

Here are some of the ways you can reduce rubbish at home.

reusable cloth bags when shopping
  • Always use reusable cloth bags when shopping. Not only do these bags look stylish and have more space in them, but they also ensure that you won’t go home with two or more plastic bags to add to your ever-growing pile. You can also bring your own containers or bags when buying meat, fish, and other produce in the supermarket. Bring plastic containers for dried beans, nuts, and other items, too.
  • Stop using zip-lock bags and plastic cling film. Go for reusable and organic food wraps that are made of beeswax and resin to cover bowls or containers. 
  • If you’re going out and you need to stay hydrated, then bring a reusable glass water bottle. But if a glass water bottle is too heavy, then a BPA-free plastic water bottle is a good alternative.
  • Avoid using disposable utensils in restaurants, and decline them for takeaways and delivery. If you’re eating in, always bring your own utensils. This helps restaurants effectively reduce the number of waste they have to throw away and it is also more hygienic.
  • Switch from plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones.
  • Sign up for paperless billing as much as possible. If you love reading, get an e-reader instead so you don’t have to deal with stacks of paperbacks and hardbound later on.
Paperless billing

Reuse

  • Reuse every plastic container that comes your way.
  • Donate old clothes, hats, and shoes. The Salvation Army is always a good place to donate old outfits you or your children have outgrown. You can also find charity bins in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

Recycle

When it comes to rubbish, it’s important to know which ones to toss and which ones can be recycled. Here are some items you can recycle.

  • Newspapers
  • Aluminum cans and foils
  • Egg cartons
  • Cardboard
  • Containers
  • Clean pizza boxes
  • Glass bottles and containers
  • Leather
  • Magazines
  • Mattresses
  • Office furniture
  • Carpets
  • Rugs
  • Auto parts and more

You can find a recycling business in your area that will pick up your recyclables before you load the non-recyclables into our skip bins. Simply check out the Business Recycling website for a directory of recyclers in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

Computers, smartphones, and other electronic waste can also be recycled and recovered. These are the four organisations that offer recycling services in the area.

  • eCycle Solutions
  • Drop Zone
  • Electronic Product Stewardship Australasia
  • TechCollect

You can also load e-waste and white goods into our skip bins for proper disposal.