You Can Make a Difference - At Home
House & Garden
Want to see Brisbane's own Sustainable house? Visit www.bellis.info to view a queenslander in the Wynumn area, where they have a drought proof garden, loads of water tanks, use greywater and solar power. They have a candid account of how they did it, the costs involved, Jerry's organic gardening advice plus Jeff's entertaining and thought provoking 'random rants'.
Scroll down for topics on: Composting, Recycling, really easy water saving tips, Rainwater tank rebates, Greywater, and more info to come on Solar Rebates & Options, Cleaning products and Sustainable Renovating.
Waste Disposal - Composting & Worm farms
There are a wide variety of Compost bins and Worm farms on the market. If you're short on space - the japanese style kitchen compost bin (Bokashi Bin) maybe the answer. There is even a special worm farm dedicated to pet poo. See links for suppliers.
www.neco.com.au - have a great site which sell Worm Farms and the Bokashi Bin, plus biodegradable bin-liners & nappies and lots more. www.wormsdownunder.com.au - have Worm farms and also supply the worms. Visit www.tumbleweed.com.au for the pet poo converter and other composting options.
Waste Disposal - Recycling
Try to reduce, re-use and recycle as much as possible - think like our grand-parents, think long-term and be inventive with packaging etc. See Planet Ark www.recyclingnearyou.com.au for more information. And, visit Reverse Garbage, in West End for some great ideas on re-using "garbage" to make art, jewellery etc.
Iimprove our recycling habits. Knowing what not to recycle is as important as knowing what can be recycled.
Due to contamination - 15g of incorrect glass (e.g. broken window, drinking glasses) in 1 tonne of recyclable glass can result in 1 tonne of glass being sent to landfill!
Here's six things you may not have known about recycling in Brisbane:
- Lids removed from glass jars cannot be put in with the recycling, and neither can broken window glass or drinking glasses.
- Cardboard egg cartons can be recycled, as can pizza boxes (just get rid of the cheese stuck to them as much as possible!)
- You don't need to remove labels from steel cans and glass jars
- Cans and jars don't need to be totally clean, but rinse them in your washing up water at the end if possible to clean them off a bit without wasting water
- Aerosol cans can actually be recycled as long as they're empty and you have removed the plastic nozzle and plastic lid and thrown them away in the regular bin
- Put your rubbish straight in the recycling bin - DON'T put it in a plastic bag first, as this cannot be recycled and causes contamination For more information, ring the National Recycling Hotline on 1300 733 712 or check out www.recyclingnearyou.com.au
5 Ridiculously EASY Water-saving Actions
1. Rinsing plates for the dishwasher Instead of having the water running while you rinse plates, put a small amount of hot water in the bottom of the sink and lower each plate into it, rub briskly with a brush and stack. It doesn’t matter how dirty this water gets if you are then going to put them in the dishwasher. These almost-clean plates can then be stacked ready to put in the dishwasher – and because they are cleaner, you may be able to do a quick cycle rather than a standard – double points!! |
2. Flow control Thin your stream! When you turn on the water to brush your teeth, get in the habit of turning it on less hard. You usually don’t need a torrent of water for what you are doing. Teach your children to put “just a drop” of water on their toothbrush before brushing. |
3. Out damned spot! For the obsessive-compulsive among us and/or those of us with children who are washing our hands countless times a day, try this: Turn the tap on lightly, rinse your hands and turn off. Get some soap on your hands and rub, scrub, hard. You know where. All those spots you like to miss, like around the fingernails, between the fingers, down to the wrist. Make it brisk but enthusiastic. Pretend you’re about to perform surgery. Then turn on the tap to rinse off. Your hands will be cleaner yet you’ll save water. Also, dry well. Bacteria breed on wet hands. |
4. Washing potatoes Put them all in a bowl of water to get the dirt off that you can see and feel. Then rinse each one briefly to avoid the problem of persisting bacteria on the skin. Throw the bowl of dirty water on your thirsty plants just outside the door. Check the dog is not sleeping there first, unless you want to be extra eco-nscious and make this the dog’s weekly bath – triple points!! |
WE NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS! E-mail in your suggestion and we will add it to the list. ecomumsite@gmail.com |
Waterwise - Rainwater Tanks
There are all sorts of tanks out there, and your plumber is a good person to discuss the best choice for your property.
The State Government are providing rebates for buying and installing rainwater tanks, greywater systems, dual-flush toilets, water efficient clothes washing machines and showerheads. Visit www.nrm.qld.gov.au for more information and application forms.
The Brisbane City Council also offer rebates for tanks (be aware they don't approve greywater systems yet). Visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/brisbanewater for more information and application forms.
Waterwise - Greywater for the Garden
See govt. pages on Gardening with Greywater .
Solar Options
Solar hot water has been around for years, it has proven success, is not expensive, and with hotwater hogging up to 40% of your power usage - it makes sense to change to Solar. The Federal Govt. still offer rebates for this, quantumenergy.com.au had info and a list of rebate elligible suppliers in and around Brisbane, also Solahart were very helpful when I phoned them.
Solar Photovoltaics are those panels on your roof - which can be connected to the electricity grid. This means your own power needs can be boosted from the grid if there's a shortfall - or on a really hot day you might end up boosting the grid from your rooftop resulting in a credit from your power supplier - COOL hey! Oh yes they're not cheap but think of long-term financial savings and go green!
See info about the Photovoltaic rebates here: http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/sustainability/energy/
Energex & Ergon can give you more details on pricing etc on their sites or over the phone. Rob Pitt from A1 Solar at Capalaba was recommeded to me too.
Cleaning Products & Appliances
For Clothes washing, get phosphate-free products.
Do you really need all those expensive bottles of potions, we are currently searching for the recipes for 'old-fashioned cleaners' like Vinegar for floors, bi-carb etc. Email us with your suggestions or recipes.
Renovating?
More to come......
Bio-paints, sustainable buildings,
Reverse Garbage is no-profit organisation and have old windows, doors etc at really reasonable prices.