Take a leaf out of our handy waste guide - out now

Scenic Rim residents are being encouraged to turn over a new leaf, with Council’s handy new 40-page guide to reducing waste.

How to Reduce Waste, Your Handy Guide, has been produced to help residents make choices that will improve their world as well as the environment by avoiding waste and maximising opportunities to reuse and recycle while saving money.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said the booklet aimed to encourage residents to see that small changes could make a big difference.

“A little bit of thought when we shop and about how we dispose of waste can not only help the environment and save money, it can also help create jobs within a circular economy and keep others safe, particularly by ensuring that hazardous materials are disposed of correctly,” he said.

“Reducing the volume of waste going to landfill is not simply about recycling, it begins with shoppers making informed decisions about their purchases and asking themselves whether there are alternatives.

“For example, buying in bulk will often save on packaging, as will buying locally, as local businesses use less packaging because they don’t need to protect their products from damage during long-distance transport.”

Choosing fresh produce, rather than processed foods, is a healthy option that will also help reduce waste generated by packaging.

This will also help the environment by reducing the consumption of energy and water in the manufacture of packing that quickly becomes hard-to-manage litter.

How to Reduce Waste, Your Handy Guide includes environmentally friendly and money saving tips for the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and garden.

“If we consider that food waste accounts for 40 per cent of landfill, this equates to one in every five bags of groceries going straight into the bin,” Cr Christensen said.

“While this comes at a cost to the environment, this can also cost individual households more than $2000 a year which is a waste of money that could be avoided by shopping more carefully.

“Each year, more than 20,000 tonnes of waste goes to landfill in the Scenic Rim, so we need to look at ways to reduce, reuse or recycle as much of that waste as possible.”

The guide helps Scenic Rim residents to maximise their recycling by detailing which items can be disposed of in recycling bins and how to dispose of hazardous items which can injure others or cause fires or explosions.

“We know Scenic Rim residents value our region’s spectacular scenery and natural environment and making small changes to the way we shop and manage waste are easy ways we can all work together to keep the Scenic Rim spectacular,” Cr Christensen said.

“This handy new guide not only supports Council's Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy 2021-2026 but also Queensland's vision to progress towards a zero-waste society where waste is avoided, reused and recycled to the greatest possible extent."

How to Reduce Waste, Your Handy Guide is available online via Council’s website at scenicrim.qld.gov.au/council-services/waste-services with limited copies available at Council’s Customer Service Centres, Libraries and Waste Transfer Stations.