5 Easy Ways YOU Can Save the Planet (Yes, Really!)

The fact that climate change is an ever-growing, man-made risk is shockingly still a divisive debate among the general public, with most people unable to grasp the severity of the situation and how they’re contributing to it. They don’t realize that 2016 was the hottest year recorded since 1880, that sea levels are rising at their fastest rate in 2,000 years, that global flooding is predicted to triple by 2030, or that 21.5 million people have been displaced since 2008 as a result of climate change-related weather occurrences.

If they did, they would join the 43 percent of UK residents who do, too and take proactive measures to counteract their carbon footprint. Here’s how you can start helping now:

Walk more and utilize public transit

If possible, opt to walk or bike more often than driving. Not only will this reduce greenhouse emissions, but it will save you money on gas and parking, and help improve your cardiovascular health! If walking is not an option due to weather, distance, or general health, take public transportation as often as possible. If you have the kind of job you can perform at home, you may want to discuss telecommuting options, even part-time.

Buy second-hand instead of new

While there may be key things you only feel comfortable buying new, consider giving gently-used items a second home. Buying second-hand furniture, clothes, books, and more are instrumental to sustainability. This delays the amount of time before these items will reach over-crowded landfills, as well as saving the resources it would cost to manufacture more of them. Think that cost is too low to make a significant difference? Consider the 2,700 litres to make one cotton t-shirt, or the 6,800 litres it takes to create one pair of blue jeans! 

Reduce water usage

Studies have found that the average person in the UK uses approximately 150 litres of water every day—so, where is all our water going? Ever leave the tap on when brushing your teeth? That wastes six litres per minute. Have a leaky tap in your home? That can add up to 5,500 litres of water a year! Sure, you can turn off the water while you brush and fix that leaky tap, but what about your toilet? There are approximately 45 million toilets in the UK, using a whopping two billion litres of water every day! If you truly want to make an environmental difference, consider an alternative. Specialist companies like Mr John furnish portable toilets that can save over 470 million litres of water every day!

Read: How Improper Waste Disposal Can Affect the Environment!

Donate or recyclable electronics

Longevity is a feature you look for when you purchase a computer, smartphone, or other electronic, but that same benefit becomes an environmental nightmare when you’re ready to part ways with your e-waste. The glass alone has the potential to take 1 to 2 million years to decompose! Greenpeace has found e-waste to be extremely toxic, thanks to the rechargeable batteries’ cadmium, LCD screens’ lead, printed wiring boards’ mercury, and much more. While the raw materials can be recycled, they often find their way to landfills or overseas. Donating your electronics will help reduce e-waste and also give someone the opportunity to own something they may not have been able to afford otherwise—it’s a green win-win!

Eat less meat

While no one is forcing you to become a vegetarian, cutting out meat (especially seafood) one or two days a week and limiting your portions can make a huge impact. This will take the burden off of the cropland that grows the food your food eats, as well as limit the amount of antibiotic- and hormone-treated animal waste that could infect our water. An increase in seafood consumption is even more detrimental to sustainability efforts. With commercial fishing operations working to meet the demand, many species of fish are in danger of extinction. In fact, certain conservation experts fear our oceans could be empty as soon as 2048 if no changes are made. So, the next time you reach for a second helping of beef or order fish for dinner again, consider how easily you could make a difference instead.

Now that you have a better understanding of the current climate change issues we’re facing and how your everyday decisions affect them, join us in taking the first step toward a more sustainable tomorrow.

How To Dispose Your Household Waste Safely in Melbourne

People in Australia are more environmentally conscious today and are paying more and more attention to how and where they are disposing their waste especially if it holds potential danger to the environment. Some of the most common household waste such as car batteries, electronic devices etc. contain environmentally hazardous toxic materials and need special care while disposing of. This is true even more when you consider the nature of waste today and most of them are not organic like they used to be in the early days. They are often not biodegradable and can harm the soil or water table beneath the landfill if not disposed of appropriately. When disposing of a waste of this nature in Melbourne or surrounding area you should take special care and let the professional waste management services handle them. Keep the following in mind while disposing of your household waste and junk.

Safely Dispose of your Waste that needs Special Attention

Below are some of the most common household wastes that cannot be managed just by hiring a Regular Skip Bin:

Car Batteries

Car Batteries contain harmful acids and chemicals that hold potential danger to the environment. If you dispose of car batteries in a regular Skip Bin, it may tip over and if exposed the strong acids may damage animals or people. So special care should be taken while disposing of waste containing such harmful chemicals such as car batteries or any other household appliances that contain chemicals. These should be disposed at regulated facilities and not through regular Skip Bins.

E-Waste

With the advancement of technology, the increase of E-Waste has been increasing in significant amount in the recent years. As offices, businesses, and homes use more and more electronic and computer related machinery these days, disposing of waste associated with electronics such as computers, televisions, printers, are also becoming a bigger problem. E-waste can contain a wide range of materials which may be hazardous to the environment and often contain toxic chemicals including heavy metals and radioactive waste. Due to this hazardous nature of the E-Waste, these should not be disposed of in regular skip bins and special care should be taken while disposing of them.

Flammable Materials

You may have seen some products in your home that contains “Flammable” label or sign on it. These materials may break and the chemicals inside may catch fire or even Explode when they are not handled properly or being transported by inexperienced people, and disposed of in regular Skip Bins. These materials are referred to as “Hot Load” and should be disposed of with care by trained professionals.

Household Poison

If you have a bottle in your home with the label poison on it, do not dispose of this bottle in a regular Skip Bin. The poison in the bottle will also be poison in the landfill. These bottles have a risk of leaking and potentially polluting the ground water from the landfills. So special garbage disposals should be used while disposing of this container.

Keeping Australia Safe

For personal and environmental safety please follow the safety rules of garbage disposal and waste management standards of Australia. The household materials such as batteries, tyres, electrical and electronic appliances or containers with toxic, harsh chemicals or poisons, should be handled with special care and cannot be disposed of in regular Garbage Bins or Skip Bins. Your local council can advise you on how to dispose of these hazardous materials and who to contact while disposing of them. Due to the toxic and hazardous nature of these products, you should let only the professional and trained personnel to handle them.