March 27, 2016
We’ve all heard of the three ‘R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Well now we’ve got three more ‘R’s to think about, thanks to recycle.co.nz – Refuse, Rehome and Rot!
- Refuse what you don’t need,
- Reduce what you do need,
- Reuse anything you can,
- Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse
- Rehome what you no longer need
- Rot the rest (ie compost)
This practical approach encourages us to be more aware of the packaging we buy – and to avoid buying more than we need. Simple tips like avoiding packaged and unrecyclable goods, remembering reusable shopping bags and carefully separating waste into food and kitchen scraps, garden waste, and recyclables can go a long way to reducing the environmental footprint of your household.
If you take a trip to a recycle station, you’ll soon see that one very common mistake is the contamination of recycled packaging – caused by our failure to carefully wash out containers before we put them in the bin. Whether it’s recyclable or not, contaminated packaging ends up as landfill.
Common questions around our packaging
Since we’re talking recycling, it seems like a good time to answer a couple of common questions around our packaging. The Earthwise team is often asked about our laundry powder packaging and the pros and cons of the plastic scoop – so here’s the skinny on our approach to sustainable packaging.
At Earthwise we support the reduction of landfill waste, which is why the plastic bag inside our laundry powder is grade 4 recyclable low density polyethylene – LDPE is one of the most commonly recycled types of plastic in New Zealand. We have to use a plastic bag to provide airtight packaging for our product because we won’t use synthetic preservatives.
Our laundry powder box is made from 100% recycled cardboard and is printed using vegetable inks. Two years ago we also stopped including a plastic scoop with our laundry powder and changed our product usage directions to tablespoons in order to reduce the amount of plastic we use to the absolute minimum. We’re delighted to report that our packaging approach has been approved by Environmental Choice NZ.
Waste Free Parenting
Earthwise is also a silver sponsor of the Waste-free Parenting Lady, Kate Meads. Kate is holding a series of waste-free parenting workshops around the country. As part of the 2.5hour seminar, Kate will cover off ways to reduce waste at home, show the environmental impact of our choices and inspire you to make some simple changes in your own home.
At Earthwise our philosophy is that every little bit helps. If we all do our own little bit, we’ll leave the planet in better shape for the next generation.