Produce No Waste: “A stitch in time saves nine, waste not want not”. Minimize waste and maximize the use of all resources within the system. While I would love to detail how our systems produce no waste, we have not found that to be possible. Yet!
Accessing the bulk supply
We have conducted general waste and plastic specific waste audits and introduced changes as a result, such as the bulk buying of food and cleaning materials to reduce packaging waste. We apply the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, replace, reuse, recycle) and have implemented some zero waste principles (taking food containers to restaurants, fabric bags and containers when buying fruit, veg, meat and deli foods). We take our own containers to packaging free stores for food and cleaning agents we don’t use enough of to make it worth bulk buying.
Some containers and bags we take shopping to avoid single use containers
We plan meals and monitor leftovers and the contents of fridge and freezer to reduce food waste. Organic waste is fed to the worms or chooks or composted. Articles in reasonable condition but no longer needed are passed on to friends or relatives, donated to opportunity shops or included on the Permaculture Sydney West ‘Recycle Roundabout’ at the monthly meeting.
Black water goes directly to sewer, but grey water from the bathroom is sent to the middle of the banana circle and laundry greywater (washing machine and dishwasher) is used to water fruit trees via a constructed wetland. Diluted urine is used fertilise fruit trees, generally in spring. We considered a composting toilet but were told in discussions with the local council that the output from the composing toilet would have to go to a waste processing facility, work is ongoing.
The constructed wetland
We do have a small (80 litre) general waste bin provided by the council which is rarely more than half full as well as a recycle bin for glass, metal and some plastics. We also have a separate collection service that takes harder to recycle items like soft plastic and medication blister packs.
I have a reasonably well-appointed garage with hand and power tools, vices and other work areas along with some metal and woodworking skills picked up at TAFE many years ago that allows me to conduct repairs and maintenance required. I do not have skills with 240volt electricity and so hire work requiring repairs and maintenance in this area out to experts where needed.
