Zero Waste took a mammoth hit during C**id and Our Planet suffered for it. The sheer amount of single-use masks and disposable plastic gloves that were used… *Ugh* I shudder… And that’s just the tip of the Disposable Planet Ice Berg!

We made life-changing decisions during this last season.. We sold up our suburban life and made the move to the countryside, literally.

We exchanged a 600sqm block for 40 acres. Swapped Modern convenience for a 70-year-old farmhouse that needs renovating and Tank Water.

And we COULD NOT BE HAPPIER

Life is different here in the country. Nothing moves fast. Life is at a pace that people living in the city could only dream of. We still run our business from home.

(The one modern convenience we still have is the internet , Praise God!)

We have dairy cows, chickens, a goose (long story) haha

We have embedded ourselves in the local church and community. The local op shops now know my children & me quite well, as moving always brings cleaning out and needing to replace items.

Miss 14 (how did that happen?!) sews crochets and has a passion for dance…

Master 12 loves anything that involves basketball weapons (hunting, wood chopping etc) and of course gaming haha

We have had my parents living with us for the last 16 months as they were building their own residence on our farm. Praise God that’s now complete and they’ve relocated to their new place and we are re-adjusting to having our home to ourselves

Homeschooling is still our thing, hello two highschoolers for 2024

We practice what we preach as best we can. We have multiple compost heaps, veggies and seedlings constantly on the go.

Our chickens supply our family and a couple of other families with eggs

We collect any bottles, cans etc that enter our home and use the “Containers for Change” program that’s available out here.

We cook from fresh ingredients and try to create homemade versions of everything we need/want.

Christmas just past was homemade/homegrown/locally sourced gifts once more.

Our family and friends are starting to finally get used to our way of gifting.

They now expect bread, relishes, eggs, something sewn with love or thrifted with care.

Hoping to do more posts as time goes on, however, life is always moving and sitting still to write is a luxury that rarely happens…

Feel free to email me with any questions/queries – zerowasteliving.com.au@gmail.com

Running a zero-waste household can be challenging, after all, modern living seems to be at odds with a zero-waste lifestyle. But it can be done. By making simple changes in the way you buy, use, and dispose of items, you can drastically reduce the amount of waste your produce.

To get you started, here are six keys to a zero-waste household.

1. Start in the kitchen

The kitchen is the most wasteful room in any household. Getting a handle on your kitchen waste is key to drastically reducing your waste.

Buying food – food is one of the main culprits of over packaging. When buying food, choose produce that is loose and free from plastics. There are many places that you can take your own containers to fill up. Buying local seasonal produce also cuts down on the environmental impact of food transport.

Brown bag it – instead of going to work and buying a prepackaged lunch on your break, make your own food at home and bring it with you.

Store food without the waste – cling film, tin foil, and plastic food bags may seem like a good way to preserve and store food, but they are incredibly wasteful as they can only be used once. Instead of using these, invest in some reusable silicone sheets for baking and reusable bags for storing food in.

Food waste – the scale of food waste in developed countries is shocking when you consider that areas of the world are starving. By switching your buying habits to unpackaged, fresh produce, you should start to reduce the amount of food you waste. There will inevitable by some waste in the form of uneaten cooked food and fruit and vegetable peelings. Instead of putting these in the trash, start collecting them in a compost bin. You’ll be able to reuse it in your garden and plants.

2. Clean up in the bathroom

After the kitchen, the bathroom is high on the list of rooms that produce waste. Almost everything you buy seems to come in a plastic bottle. While you might think that you’re doing your part by purchasing recycled plastic bottles, the truth is that most plastic is only recycled once or twice before it ends up in landfill. Additionally, the energy it takes to recycle plastic is not insignificant. To reduce the amount of plastic waste you use in your bathroom, look at the following:

Change to bars – lots of toiletries can now be bought in a bar form, like soap. From shampoo and conditioner to deodorant. They are often made from organic, natural ingredients and come with minimal or no packaging.

Bamboo toothbrushes – dentists recommend that we change our toothbrush every three months. That’s a lot of toothbrushes over a lifetime. Switch to bamboo toothbrushes which are biodegradable.

Facecloths – how often do you take your makeup off with a disposable face wipe? Swap your pack of wipes for a reusable makeup cloth and a packaging-free cleansing bar

3. Buy and donate pre-loved items

We’re too quick to throw away household items when they have slight damage, or even if we’re just redecorating. Always look to sell, give, or donate clothes, furniture, electronics.

Similarly, if you’re looking for something new. Have a look at the usual online market places and see if you can pick it up for a bargain.

4. Bringing up baby…waste-free

A new baby will generate so much waste, you won’t believe it. There are some ways to massively reduce this. Reusable nappies will not only save you putting hundreds of dirty bags of nappies into landfills, but they’ll also save you hundreds of dollars. The same goes for baby wipes. They are packaged in plastic and aren’t biodegradable or flushable. Buy reusable ones and save yourself a lot of money.

5. Clean up

Everyone likes to have a clean home. But at what cost? Not only are you using harsh chemicals, but all of the products also come in plastic bottles. There are many homemade cleaning products that can do the job with just a few household items like white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice.

6. Always be prepared

Making changes within your home is one important step, but you can often find yourself caught out when you’re out and about. Try and be prepared by always carrying reusable shopping bags, a water bottle, a travel cup, and a straw. That way, you can still enjoy eating and drinking out, without having to miss out. Many coffee shops also offer discounts to those customers who bring in their own cups. So you’ll save money too!

Conclusion

Creating a zero-waste household isn’t easy, but it is very rewarding when you realise just what you can achieve with mindfulness and planning. If you have young children, you’ll also be teaching them the importance of reducing their impact on the world, making them far more likely to carry this on in the future.

I hope you’re all well and safe. We are thank God.

I’m sorry I haven’t been writing here, I’ve been doing life and all it’s constant changes.

So, an update…

At the end of 2019 we made the decision to bring our 2 children home to be educated full time. This decision had been a long time coming – between our son being bullied ruthlessly every single day and our high-achieving daughter developing a stress disorder thanks to the ever-mounting pressure from the school, wanting to use her to bump their grades average up, it was just a matter of making the changes in our work situations so that our dream of homeschooling could be achieved. After many discussions with the children and as a couple, I chose to make a major work life change and dive into being their “teacher.”

Before anyone has a go at me – I was homeschooled my whole upbringing. My mum did an amazing job of juggling the office side of my dad’s business and schooling 3 kids! Super woman! So I have had much experience with it all. I knew exactly which curriculum I wanted them to do (the same as myself) and I applied to the home-educators course so that I was qualified to do so.

Fast forward to March 2020 and the whole world is basically homeschooling and the people who said I was doing the “wrong thing” by my kids had to eat their words

Our Children are thriving. They have their confidence back, our son is smiling and laughing and active.

Our daughter no longer has issues with anxiety or stress, is also smiling and laughing and no longer worrying.

They’re both ahead of “schedule.”

Our Zero Waste journey continues, despite the huge pay-cut with my only doing small hours of work now. Our budget is tighter than ever and yet we’re the happiest we’ve been so far. We are using our tight budget as a challenge to learn to make so much more from scratch.

We use it as part of our school day, remember home economics class at school?

The kids have learnt how to feed themselves when they move out of home one day. They can now make for themselves healthy, nutritious, simple meals that will serve them well for the future.

We have established a family “games night” each week. This guarantees we spend relaxed time together and have fun while doing it. We collect all kinds of whacky board games and card games from op shops and market stalls.

We have established an even bigger garden this year and finally added chickens to our yard. We have been planning this for a while, and with us now being at home to school, the chickens have added so much education to the children’s day. They’re learning all about life cycles and animal care.

We are not only feeding ourselves the majority of our green vegetable needs, but also our elderly neighbours. This teaches the children about community and caring for others. Eggs are also shared with others, thanks to our happy chickens .

The 2 meat eaters in the house have made a conscious decision to reduce their meat consumption. We were already buying meat the Zero Waste way, taking our Pyrex containers to the local butcher. This just reduces our reliance on others a little bit more.

We have found a great place that supply’s us with bulk flours/sugar for a good price. We share the 12kg bags of flour amongst our family and this helps everyone have it available.

We have found a local-ish made toilet paper that’s 100% recycled. It is manufactured only an hour from where we live. It’s name is EARTH CHOICE.

Many “environmental “ toilet papers are manufactured in China. Do yourself a favour and check where yours is actually made. While these companies claim to be environmental, shipping their products half way across the world isn’t in my books. Just because their Australian owned and their office is here, doesn’t mean they’re doing all the right things.

We have made the conscious decision not to eat out this year either – unless it’s a special occasion and we can take our own containers to place the food in if we want takeaway or we can sit and use real crockery etc. This decision was made before COVID-19 haha, what a coincidence. Needless to say, this has been an easy decision to follow since nothing has really been open.

We have been pooling our chore outings so that they’re all done at one time. We plan our route so that is the most efficient and we don’t have to double back.

We have established a good relationship with our local Coles green grocer manager, who puts aside boxes of green scraps for our chickens this saves it from landfill and our ladies are well fed.

With it being PLASTIC FREE JULY (already) we established 5 more things we would like to change over to be plastic free.

• Deodorant – finally converted everyone.
• Tortilla Wraps – once again, finally convinced the sensory eater to give them another go home made
• Homemade Mascara for myself and my daughter. It’s working out great so far
• Crackers – thanks to a friend who has mastered a great recipe, we haven’t purchased packaged crackers in a couple of weeks! This is a big deal. While the packages are recyclable, we wanted to go fully zero waste with these.
• Pasta – this made sound odd, because it’s readily available package free – however, our sensory eater is specific about the types, and we finally found a local bulk store that sells “approved” types. (Yay!)

So far the only things purchased “new” this year in my wardrobe are:

1. Organic Cotton Leggings because my other pair had lasted 4 seasons and had no elasticity left.
2. Work shoes – TOMS brand – not ideal, however better than so many. My last pair lasted 18 months being worn nearly every single day, so they’re good quality. Next time I need work shoes, which shouldn’t be for at least another year, I will have saved to buy a pair of Etiko’s or such. This will be an even more ethical, environmental choice..

Other than that, we have been just doing every day, one day at a time. Taking each change as it comes. No worrying or stressing, it does no good to. We have faith. We have hope. It gets you so much further than the previously mentioned.

Hope you’ve enjoyed our little update. Hoping to get back into writing a little more regularly in the near future.

Stay safe. Stay well. Look after each other. Peace

2/ Save the rubber bands off your fruit n veg bundles, your mail etc. incredibly handy

3/ Walk and or Ride your Bicycle Seriously, you’ll save HUGE $$ and you’ll get fit and you’ll save the planet That’s a Win Win Win!

4/ Embrace a packed Lunch from home to take to work – once again, SAVE $$, Eliminate Plastic and eat better food Leftovers are KING

5/ Use a cake scraper to get every bit of food out of the pot you will get all the good bits and save $

6/ Start a List – This is where you write down what you wanted to buy, instead of actually buying it. If in a month’s time you’re still needing/wanting that particular item, then you can start seeking the best Zero Waste version of it. This could mean Creating your own, Op Shopping (thrifting) EBay, Facebook Market place, purchasing locally made/crafted etc…

7/ Google “What’s happening” in your local area and if there isn’t any Zero Waste groups or Swap groups then consider starting one. It could simply be a once a month get together where everyone brings something to share and you discuss tips, tricks & all things Waste Free.

8/ Make collecting discarded rubbish a priority on your daily walk /cycle to work – carry a small cloth bag and your gardening gloves with you and pick up the loose rubbish you go past. It doesn’t take long when you get home to sort it into it’s correct disposal piles/bins and you’ve saved it from entering the ocean.

9/ Grow Something. Be it a single Herb Pot on your sunny windowsill, or a full blown garden that takes up your yard, growing something saves waste and creates opportunities.

10/ Turn the oven off 10mins before your food is due to be finished. Leave the door closed and the residual heat will finish the cooking off nicely.

11/ Repurpose items lying around your home. That chipped Teacup that you cant let go will make a cute succulent garden the plastic wrapping that came on a bunch of flowers from a well meaning friend can be carefully removed from the bunch and wiped over with a damp cloth. It can then be used for wrapping gifts at a later stage.

12/ Use Online Services instead of physical ones. Newspapers, Magazines, Music, Books etc…

13/ Take your own Headphones Unpackaged food, Cup, bamboo cutlery Neck Pillow and throw rug on your next flight ask for your drink to be put directly into your own cup, refuse those useless little bags of peanuts and shrink wrapped personal care items.

14/ Select natural fibres when you do need to purchase new. Be it clothing, a bag, dish cloths etc. this way when they’re worn out, they can go straight into the compost pile.

15/ USE WHAT YOU HAVE – Simple and affective. Don’t own a fancy Keep Cup? Try a Jar with rubber bands around it as a heat band

16/ Reuse everything! I know this is a similar tip to number 11, but the point needs to be made. That cup that the handle broke off, it can be used to scoop your homemade clothes washing liquid out of the bucket and into the washing machine. The plate you dropped and can’t glue back together? Use the pieces to write on and mark out your veggie seedlings

17/ Borrow DONT buy! I don’t own a food processor shock! Horror! Hahahahaha… I don’t want to own one either, it’ll just be another gadget to clutter my home Instead, I simply posted on Facebook that I was looking to borrow one and that I’d make cookies in exchange for the borrow. I had 5 people offer theirs in 5 minutes flat

18/ Make do – Don’t have a rolling pin? Wash the empty wine bottle from last night’s dinner and use that! Don’t own stackable pots to melt chocolate? Try a Pyrex bowl over a pot of boiling water, works just as well! Just don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water or your chocolate may burn

19/ Learn “No Thank you.” No thank you to the “free pen” the energy company wants to give you as a thanks, No Thank you to the balloon the salesperson in the shopping centre wants to hand your kid. No thank you to the plastic, rubbish filled party bag at the neighbors kid’s party. You get the idea…

20/ Remove bins from all rooms of the house expect the kitchen. (Or go ahead and remove them all together) Having bins conveniently located in every other room encourages waste. Mindlessly throwing something out you’re supposedly done with stops you from rethinking what it can be reused for. We have a small 10ltr reused Ice Cream bucket from my cafe that sits in our kitchen as our “bin.” We challenge ourselves to go as long as we possibly can without filling it. We’re not anywhere near perfect, we still create waste, but we’re a heck of a lot better than when we started this journey 4 years ago.

21/ If you can’t find it plastic free, don’t buy it! This is a big challenge as we are a plastic filled nation and just about everything comes with some form of plastic these days – BUT TAKE HEART, there are also pretty much alternatives to almost anything. It may take some research in your local area, but it’s worth it.

22/ Ditch paper towels for good! Use old towels cut up into usable sizes, op shop for face cloths as their the perfect size to cover food when re-heating etc.

23/ Ditch Tissues as well! Make the Handkerchief Cool Again! Op shop baskets are filled with prettiest retro print handkerchief’s . They’re normally 30cents each

24/ If you forget something from home and there is no zero Waste option available, Go Without.. This isn’t a popular point, but it will make you remember your Cup/bag/container/Jar/Utensils next time

25/ Forage overhanging Fruit trees I live in an older neighbourhood and so many of the old homes have huge fruit trees that have grown so large that they hang over the fences onto the street side. At the moment there are Mangos Avocados and Passionfruit overhanging. I simply popped my head over the fence and asked nicely if I could collect some the fruit on my side of the fence. They didn’t mind as long as I stuck to “my side.”

This year we are focusing on Zero or Low Waste, mostly homemade gifts. I have a list of family/friends/work colleagues that I would like to give something to and now I’m working out my plan of attack so to speak.

For those who I do not have a suitable homemade idea for, I will be Op Shopping or scouring the local Saturday markets for what I seek.

Below are the simple homemade ideas that will be on high rotation in my gift giving…

1/ Home baked Bread I have a heap of rosemary, basil and oregano growing in my garden currently, so I’ll be adding these yummy herbs into the bread dough to give it that special something.

2/ Pickled Beetroot perfect accompaniment for summer salads during the Christmas season. Here is the to the free recipe I’ll be using. https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pickled-beetroot/7cd01ff9-0fdb-4f96-a6a8-bd387947150f

3/ Rosemary & Peppermint Sugar Scrub. This smells divine and is great for people who work on their feet all day. Rubbing this into their feet and then letting their feet soak in some warm water will have them relaxed in no time here’s the recipe link. https://www.iheartnaptime.net/rosemary-peppermint-sugar-scrub/

4/ Spicy mixed Nuts we are a family of “snackers.” We graze throughout the day, so mixed nuts are the perfect gift.

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/spicy-mixed-nuts/2327d843-2be1-47cb-a346-e346ab4f139f

5/ Shea Butter Body Cream. These days Men and Women alike enjoy something nourishing for their skin. This body cream ticks all the boxes https://www.fairylandcottage.com/single-post/2019/11/17/Shea-Butter-Body-Cream

6/ For Vegan friends I’m making cookies ! Finding cookies that taste great and that are free from all animal products still isn’t that easy depending on where you live. And if you do find decent ones, they’re normally expensive $$. Making these will have your mates hugging you through to New Year and beyond. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2018/05/21/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/

7/ Washing Liquid. I have been making and using this amazing washing liquid of Rhonda Hetzel’s for over 3 years now and it’s never failed me. It makes 10 litres at a time, making it the perfect gift to bottle up in reused Jars with some twine and hand out at the Family gathering of relatives that you have no idea what to buy them haha. https://down—to—earth.blogspot.com/2010/08/homemade-laundry-liquid-revisited.html?m=1

8/ Framed Name Meanings.

Do you know the meaning of your Name? Have you ever googled it’s heritage? It’s an incredibly interesting activity and you’d be surprised how many people love it when you’ve gone to the effort of searching out the details and making gift out of their name. I op shop the photo to suite the size of the piece of card or paper that I’ve created the gift on and Ta Da. I truly unique gift.

9/ Basil Pesto Tis the Season for Basil in abundance in my garden. This means pesto for gifting I personally make Vegan Basil Pesto so that it can be fed to most people. Here is the recipe I use.

1/2 Cup Salted Roasted Cashew Nuts

1 Bunch of Basil

1 Garlic Clove

Pinch of Pink Himalayan Rock Salt

1 Lemon, Juiced

125ml Olive Oil

*Optional Extra if you’re used to the taste of Parmesan cheese in your pesto is 1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast*

Put all ingredients into your Nutri Bullet/Food Processor and blitz. Add a little water if you need to make it a bit more liquid consistency. Depending on your personal preferences, you can add a little more garlic, salt or lemon juice. It’s all a matter of balance.

Simple and YUMMY

10/ Personalised Edible Treats. Find out what your loved ones really enjoy as a treat to eat and set out to make it for them. My dad loves Melting Moment Biscuits So my sister and I always make him a batch. My husband would walk a thousand miles for Choc Chunk Cookies so that’s what I’ll be making him… You get the idea

I hope this little look into my Homemade Christmas has helped you with yours

Make sure you watch out for my next blog post – 2020, big things are happening

Merry Christmas Stay Safe and enjoy this season.

1/ Use up what you have!

Seriously, you know that Garlic Infused Olive Oil that your rich Aunty gave you for Christmas? And that “Moroccan spice “ that you needed 1 teaspoon of 6 months ago for a recipe that you just had to try? Time to use them up!!

I use www.taste.com.au ALL the time when I have ingredient(s) that I need to use up & have no idea how to do so. It’s free to use & has 1,000’s upon 1,000’s of recipes for every ingredient I know.

Be adventurous as well – Don’t have the 1/2 cup of Red Wine that the recipe asks for? Use Red Wine Vinegar instead. (It actually works!)

Use the fancy Infused Oils for regular cooking – stir fry wilting vegetables in it & TaDa, Dinner Add the 1/2 cup of brown rice left in the bottom of the Jar in the back of the cupboard & you’ve got yourself a hearty meal.

2/ Don’t be afraid of “The clearance Shelf” at your local fruit n Veg shed or supermarket.

This can sound controversial because most of the time clearance items come wrapped in some kind of packaging – but, think of it this way – This is perfectly edible food that is going to get thrown into landfill leaving not only packaging but food rotting & adding to the ever growing waste issue. Instead, you can take that dying 1/2 pumpkin & that bruised tomato & make the yummiest curry , then dispose of the packaging responsibly – to me, it’s a Win Win.

3/ Farmers Markets!!!!

I’ve said this so many times & I’ll say it again – if there is a farmers market in your area GO TO IT Talk with your local stall holders, encourage them to sell their produce package free & take your reusable’s with you.

I remember a couple of years ago I was talking with a stallholderer about how I couldn’t buy his strawberries anymore because he packed them in plastic. He looked at me & said “little lady, if I give this plastic free strawberry thing a go, you better buy berries every week from me” Hahahaha… 2 years later he not only is still selling loose strawberries but he is also selling reusable produce bags and has become “hip” to all the millennial shoppers If you have managed to work your way into eating a “package free diet” or getting there, you’ll rarely need to go a anywhere else for any of your grocery needs as most markets these days have Everything from Bulk food stalls for your flours/grains etc to bakers, cheese makers, butchers, fishmongers etc etc… And if your local one doesn’t have something you and others are seeking package free, why not explore it has a possible business opportunity for yourself? You just might be the next popular stall!

4/ Seek the glass / Can / Jar alternative.

Seek the glass / Can / Jar alternative to what you normally buy in plastic if a package free option is not currently within your grasp. This can mean going without for a period of time and depending on how committed you are to your Zero Waste Life, you’ll deem that acceptable or not acceptable, remember, no one else is living your life, therefore they shouldn’t be allowed an opinion on it unless you say so.

If your time poor, then seeking alternative’s may come slowly and one at a time, and that’s perfectly ok. If you are blessed with some spare time then do what I do when I get the chance and find a recipe for whatever you’re currently seeking package free and give it a go at making it yourself.

5/ Use What You Have to Store Your Goods.

Reuse Jars, Containers, takeaway containers that made their way in before your lifestyle change, tea towels, mugs, bowls, plates as covers over bowls – you get the picture…

-If you simply don’t have what you need to store all your package free goodness, my first suggestion is ask a friend. Pretty much GUARANTEED they will have excess containers, jars, Tupperware etc in their kitchens that they’ll be more than happy to part with.

-Next, Op shops (thrift stores) They’re a gold mine, trust me!

-If you NEED something that simply cannot be found with any of the above suggestions, please, choose to support locally owned, locally made businesses first when purchasing new. As a small family business owner, I know the absolute importance of locals supporting locals..

6/ Shop your own Kitchen/Garden first before you actually go shopping.

Sometimes I’m surprised by just how many bits and pieces I have left, different weeks bring different circumstances.

Get creative – Last night I needed to make dinner for my hard working hubby and I hadn’t planned anything (one of those days) I had a small amount of cooked penne pasta, a few slices of salami, 1/2 a handful of shredded ham, tomato purée, pizza sauce, garlic. I threw it all together, added some herbs and Ta Da, apparently it was delicious Old me would have high tailed it down to the supermarket and bought way too much food for 1 meal and it would of cost a small fortune and left a huge amount of left over bits to be used up. Instead, all the bits I had came together and fed my hubby and No waste happened nor did big $$ get spent. It was a win win.

Try and make a meal plan based around what you already have and simply fill in the bits n pieces you’re missing to create your meals. It will save $$ and waste.

Side Note Tips:

• Damp Tea towels wrapped around your veggies in your crisper will keep them fresh longer (just damp, not wet!)
• Reused jars with water filled half way up keep herbs and Carrots fresh.
• Old cereal bags are great to store your homemade bread keeps it fresh til its used.
• Old biscuit tins that have been lurking in your cupboard because they’re too pretty to throw away make great cake storage & look appealing
• Line your storage jar or container with a thrifted cloth napkin or face cloth and then put your berries in it to keep the moisture from touching their flesh which keeps them fresher for longer.
• Wrap cheese in a beeswax or vegan wax wrap to seal in the freshness.
• Older limp veggies make the best curries, stirfrys, stocks and pies. Chop off any bad bits and dice them all up together- season with your favourite seasonings and ta da, cheap, healthy, yummy food
• Dying Fruit makes super sweet treats – browning bananas becoming scrumptious banana bread. Wrinkling apples become apple pie or muffins. Shriveling berries can be turned into simple sweet sauce to drizzle over pancakes, ice cream etc…
  Leave a gap between the contents and the top of the jar if you’re placing it in the freezer. You need to leave this to lessen the chance of the glass cracking as the contents expands and contracts with the cold and heat.
• Join your local Facebook swap, buy & sell group. If you have excess of anything, advertise that you’re willing to swap for something you’re looking for. Only the other day a friend of mine put it out there that she was after backyard grown lemons she had pumpkins from her own garden to swap – within 5 minutes she had 7 people offering to swap and even asking how much she was selling her pumpkins for lol
• Share … The gift of making a meal and sharing it with someone who needs it is truly powerful. You just never know what that simple kind act will do for the person(s) on the receiving end.

The list is endless but I’m sure your head is already full so I’ll leave it there for now.

As per usual, feel free to contact me with any questions either on my Facebook page, my Instagram page or at zerowasteliving.com.au (at) gmail.com

You’re doing great!

Valentines Day – Like it, Hate it, or indifferent towards it, it comes every year. My love & I like to celebrate it as another excuse to be mushy with each other,(insert vomit noises from our kids here haha.)

Thought I’d share a few Zero Waste Date Ideas & a few Zero Waste Gift Ideas for you all, in case you want to be mushy like us

Zero Waste Date Ideas:

1. Star Gazing… I have an app on my phone that has all the information you could possibly need on the sky above us, simply activate the app, point it to the sky & it will tell you all you need to know…
2. Picnic in your Valentines favourite location – Beach, Bush, Lake, Museum… You name it Make your own food, refill a Wine bottle or returnable Kombucha bottle and let love have its way
3. Mountain Climb/Bush Walk/Hike to a Waterfall… It’s about spending TIME together! Take the time to do something Technology Free & enjoy each other

Zero Waste Gift Ideas:

1. Make their Favourite Snack food from Scratch The Internet is filled with every possible recipe there is, put aside a couple of hours & make your Valentine some super yummy treats.
2. Write them a Poem, a Song, a Story of how you met & fell in love
3. Make them a Handmade Voucher for A Massage ‍ ‍ Or their favourite Dinner made when the ask etc etc
4. Go pick them Flowers from a field or the forest it will mean so much more that you’ve collected them yourself
5. Plant a Seedling & dedicate it to your Valentine, give them a note explaining that you want to watch the plant grow, just like your love together

Enjoy your Valentines Day & remember, the most important thing your Valentine wants, IS YOU

(gah, mushy stuff haha )

1. We are no longer shopping at any of the Big Chain Supermarkets. We have been playing with this idea for a while now, slowly but surely adjusting what we can buy from where in order to make the final leap … We now do a combination of stores & the local farmers market. Depending on my work roster etc, each week we go collect our fresh produce / sourdough & pizza bases from the farmers market. We have a great relationship with the stall holders & manage to get just about everything package free. We have a whole foods bulk store in town now, so as we run out of things we make a list & take our jars/bags to refill when it’s convenient. The local butcher accepts my glass containers now that I have explained what and why we do what we do, which my love & my daughter are very happy about as I told them they’d have to give up meat if the butcher wouldn’t take our containers lol  if I’m rostered on weekends, my local fruit n veg store is willing to take my own produce bags out the back to the fridges to get me loose green beans and loose lettuce etc so that I don’t have to buy the plastic wrapped ones on the shelves, all it took was a “please” and then a big “thank you.”

2. We are growing a small garden. All basic herbs are now growing nicely in our garden, tomatoes  are going nuts and the cucumber  is trying to take over  we are attempting  carrots, beetroot and Onions also, stay tuned.

3. We are making every 3rd month a “No Spend Month “ in order to keep our budget under control & hopefully afford a few more weekends away on the motorcycle  and a trip to Sydney to see family. We believe in experiences over stuff, this is just another way to make sure that happens.

4. 3rd Year in a row, we are attempting to continue our “Buy nothing New” year in the clothing area of our world. This means only Second Hand or hand me downs for the kidlets and hopefully NOTHING for the adults – This could get interesting haha…

5. We are working on following our flow chart of Zero Waste Living – REFUSE – REUSE – REDUCE – RECYCLE – ROT and my personal favourite – BORROW!  So many people own SO many Things! And if you ask, the worst they can say is no 

6. We have set a goal to only give Homemade, Handmade or re-loved (second hand) gifts this year. The kidlets are still wrapping their heads around this one, but we will see how we go. Up until now we have always done a combination of it all and some new stuff too, this was my way of weening them off the consumer lifestyle their Father has them living at his place (shared parenting is interesting sometimes haha) and helps them see how they can live and actually feel a lot happier for doing so.

7. Being PRESENT… Believe it or not, this has everything to do with Zero Waste Living. One of the main reasons society has become consumed with consuming is because we’re always looking for “the next thing.” Instead, our little family is focusing on being in the moment, with whoever is there, in the place we are. Just being. Enjoying. Practicing Thankfulness and being satisfied with what we “have.”

Anyway, I look forward to this year with you all, thanks for reading 

Today I read a horrifying statistic: In Australia we spend approx $11 Billion a year on Christmas with $4 Billion worth of the stuff being returned in the week following and another $4 Billion worth being thrown into Landfill.  The average return is worth at least $68 

Now, I don’t know about you however I cannot fathom spending that much money  on stuff, let alone the fact that half of them are either returned or thrown out 

Here are my Top 8 Zero Waste Christmas Tips :

1/ EXPERIENCE OVER STUFF… A National poll found that the average Household here in Australia has collectively over $60Billion worth of stuff in them!!!  I mean really?! How about instead of adding to all that WASTE we give experience over stuff…

*For Children I suggest 

lessons for their favourite sport,

tickets to the movies,

concert tickets,

Be a Zoo keeper for a day – the list is almost endless and will suite most budgets

*For Adults

Pretty much the same experiences, just adult versions, it’s not hard 

2/ Handmade/Homemade Gifts 

My dad has these “favourite biscuits “ that my mum used to make him when I was young – now either my sister or I make them for him every year, along with chutney & rocky road = every happy Dad! Find out what your family / friends enjoy as a treat & set out to make some especially for them, it will mean so much more than a mass produced plastic wrapped item from a big chain store…

3/ Homemade Voucher for Favours/ Services –

Are you naturally talented at massage?

Do you have a passion to bake or cook?

Do you love animals so much that you don’t care who owns them you just wanna pet them & hug them?

These are all things you could put on a voucher for a someone eg: “This voucher entitles you to a 1hr massage at a time that suites you” or “This voucher entitles you to 6 cakes baked throughout 2019 of your choice”… You get the idea…

4/ Find out if they actually “need” anything – My Work Shoes are literally falling apart from use. I wear Toms as they’re supportive, comfortable & easy to slip on & off (no I’m not sponsored, they’re actually that good lol) so I’ve asked my love to purchase a new pair for me for Christmas  Bonus is the giving that Toms gives from every pair purchased. Here is the link to their website if you’re interested – www.toms.com

5/ Op Shop first! If you want to actually purchase a thing, Op Shop before you shop. Honestly you’d be amazed what you can find in an op shop, I’ve managed to find pretty much anything I’ve needed.

6/ If you can’t find what you’re after in an Op Shop, Search for a  Locally Made version of that Item in your area. This is always my next option after the above ones. I found a great Bike for my Daughter this year at our local bike shop, it cost slightly more, however supporting a local who has served in my home town for over 25 years means way more to me & to him than supporting the big chain stores. This was done after searching for the last 5 months for the bike she needs (specific for personal reasons) on second hand sites/ Op Shops etc… The decision was not made lightly.

7/ Search Online for Handmade version of what you’re after if it’s not available locally. This could be a way of making someone’s Christmas by supporting them from far away & purchasing their hard work. This comes after all the other options above. Make sure to ask the seller to use Environmentally friendly wrapping for sending the item(s)

8/ Donate money to a Charity in your love ones name ️ My grandpa does this every year for the whole family. He donates $10 per family member to Compassion Australia. And writes us all heartfelt cards with loving words. It means so much to us.

Hope this helps, all it takes is a little time & thought. Merry Christmas 

It’s a just over 1,000km’s away & Air Travel is the fastest & most time affective way to get there & back in the space of 4 days.

Now – I know I’m most likely going to cop flack about being a “ Zero Waste Hypocrite” or some such crap & that’s ok by me, it is my life & my choices. Let’s just consider that settled ok? Hehe 

Here’s how I see it – The Plane will travel to Sydney whether I’m on it or not, because, let’s face it, in the present mindset of our world, Air Travel is here to stay.

With this, I present my

“Zero Waste Travel Tips Part 2” …

1/ Always choose to Offset your Carbon Emissions

2/ Use electronic Tickets  this saves on paper.

3/ Travel lightly – Pack your Water Bottle, Reusable Cup, Container for takeaway food while on the go, Cloth bags, Reusable Straw etc. These will actually help you tread lightly on the earth while you enjoy your travel. Other than these items, pack as sparringly as you can.

4/ Take your own Drinks, Food/Snacks on the plane   this helps your avoid overly packaged plane food & single use plastic cups etc

5/ Take your own Devices & Entertainment – this helps avoid having to open those singularly plastic wrapped head phones & buying plastic wrapped crap at the shops inside the Terminal or On board long haul flights.

6/ Ask the Flight attendants if they will fill your water bottle or reusable cup if you run out of water or would like a cup of coffee/tea. Make sure you take your own loose leaf tea (this can only happen on domestic flights as international won’t allow it through customs) or if you drink coffee take it black to avoid single use milk containers.

7/ Make sure you’re dressed warm, comfortably and take adequate sleeping gear with you for long haul flights. A neck pillow & a small blanket is usually enough as long as you’re dressed sensibly. This helps you avoid unwrapping the plastic wrapped blankets & pillows.

8/ For those of you travelling with Kids, have a “surprise bag” filled with Zero or near Zero Waste surprises for them that they’re not allowed to open til they get “bored.” 2nd hand travel games, card games, colouring in, word puzzle books for older kids ( these are all a dime a dozen at op shops / thrift stores) LEGO, Paint with water books… I could go on and on.

9/ When you arrive at your destination, choose Public Transport to get to your destination if possible. If it isn’t then Use a Car sharing company, Uber or if no other choice, the safest, smallest Hire Car available.

10/ Research your destination before you arrive – find out if there are Bulk Food Stores anywhere near by. Find out where you can buy fresh fruit n Veggies package free etc…

*BONUS TIP*

Have fun! Chill out! I can pretty much guarantee at some stage along the way, Waste will happen, when it does, don’t beat yourself up, it’s not worth it. Deal with it as best you can, and let it go… Enjoy your trip!