What you can do to reduce household waste

Hints for reducing wastes

• Use a reusable string or canvas bag instead of disposable plastic bags for shopping.
• Better still, take a shopping trolley or buggy with you and do without bags altogether.
• Choose products with less wrapping and packaging.
• Buy in bulk – many items can be bought more cheaply in large amounts.
• Buy appliances with high energy efficiency ratings.
• Put a "No Advertising Material" sticker on your letterbox.

Hints for reusing products

• Storage containers, vases and pot plants can be made from tins, yoghurt containers and jars.
• Use both sides of paper before putting it in a recycle bin.
• Use plastic shopping bags as bin liners.

All local councils provide recycling services for households. Check with your local council for any particular recycling requirements.

For more recycling tips, visit the Sustainability Victoria website.

Disposal of old chemicals

You can call your local council and ask about regular household chemical collection days. Dates and locations are also advertised in your local newspaper or call Sustainability Victoria on 1800 353 233.

You can dispose of a range of household waste items:

• kitchen – aerosol cans (empty), insect sprays, floor care products, furniture polish, metal polish with solvent, oven cleaners
• bathroom – pharmaceuticals, bathroom cleaners
• workshop – paint strippers, cutting oil, solvent-based glues, oil-based paint, paint thinner, acetone, turpentine, varnish and wood preservative
• garden – fertiliser, fungicide, herbicides and weed killers, insecticides and rat poison
• garage – transmission fluid, batteries and battery acid, brake fluid, car wax with solvent, petrol, diesel, kerosene and other fuels, motor oils and sump oil, other oils, metal polish with solvent
• miscellaneous – acids and alkalis, artists' paints, mediums, dry cleaning solvents, fibreglass resins (not mixed), mercury batteries, mothballs, old fire alarms and extinguishers, photographic chemicals, swimming pool chemicals, safety ammunition and gas cylinders.

If you do not want to wait for a collection day, you can check you Yellow Pages index for waste reduction and disposal services. Companies listed specialise in treating waste chemicals. You can bring as many items as you wish, however, no one item should exceed 20 litres.

For more details, call Sustainability Victoria on 1800 353 233.

Ecological Footprint

Ecological Footprint is a tool that allows EPA to summarise Victoria's level of sustainability in a single value – the area of land required to sustain our level of resource consumption and waste disposal. EPA's Ecological Footprint Calculators provide an easy way of identifying opportunities for reducing waste and becoming more sustainable at home.

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