The locals working together to stop waste.
As we slowly make our way out of lockdown, we want to highlight some fantastic initiatives taking place in our community that aim to reduce our collective waste.
One of those initiatives is GIVIT. GIVIT is an organisation that pairs potential donors of items or money with charities working with people in need. They facilitate a direct donation of unwanted or second-hand items that are actually needed by individuals, taking away the need for items to be stored, sorted or thrown out. To find out what items are needed in your area, head to the GIVIT website and click the "What's Needed" tab to see if you can match up with anyone. If you have items you want to donate that aren't on that list right now, you can post them in the "Donate Items" tab.
The kinds of items you can donate are things that you might have lying around at home. Old laptops, phones, furniture, bedding, clothes - these are often things we plan to get rid of but either don't get around to it, or are unsure where to send them. GIVIT accepts all of these kinds of essential items as long as they're in usable condition. Lockdowns, while necessary, have created tough conditions for many in Canberra and across the country. Donating to GIVIT is one way we can make sure no one gets left behind as we leave lockdown and return to a more 'normal' life.
In the leadup to National Recycling Week (8 - 14 November), GIVIT is challenging Canberrans to see how many tonnes of household items we can keep out of landfill and put in the hands of those who need them. The ACT is currently one of the national leaders in recycling, but GIVIT are on a mission to do even more to divert waste from landfill. We think spring is a fantastic time to get the family together to figure out what you no longer need, and how it could help someone else.
Another great waste-reducing activity you can get involved in is a Repair Café. A Repair Café is a central place where people come together to get help repairing their broken items for free. Repairing things is key in moving to a zero waste society, as it eliminates the need to constantly replace broken items with new ones. Repair Cafés organise volunteer repairers who have expertise in certain kinds of repairs, or just great problem solving skills. You can bring all sorts of things to a Repair Café - electronics, clothes, jewellery, bikes, furniture, tools and more.
The Tuggeranong Repair Café has been holding monthly events since November last year (with a pause during lockdown). It's organised by Liz and Kirsty, the passionate coordinators of SEE-Change's Tuggeranong Group. Since it's inception, the Tuggeranong Repair Café has grown considerably beyond Liz and Kirsty's expectations. Sometimes they have upwards of 70 people attending the Café, and have had to hire several rooms for different kinds of repairs. They've been extremely pleased by the excitement people feel when their items are repaired. Sometimes a repair is needed for something very practical, but other times it might be a sentimental item that someone never thought could be fixed, and they love being able to help make that happen.
If Tuggeranong is a little far for you, there are two other Repair Cafés in Canberra. One is hosted by the Canberra Repair Cooperative at the Canberra Environment Centre in Acton, and the other is a project of the Hawker Men's Shed.
Some happy Café attendees with their freshly fixed leaf blowers.
What's being done about supermarket food waste?
Maddie and Jess from Zero Waste Revolution got together on Zoom this week to chat about what's happening in the supermarket food waste space. They talk about why it's important to keep food waste out of landfill, food security in regional communities, and what actions we can take to prevent the wasting of food.
Bloody sick of waste?
By now, many of us have heard about reusable menstrual products. Cups, discs and period undies are much more widely available than they were just a few years ago. But trying new ways to manage your period can be a bit daunting. If you've been wanting to learn more about making your period zero waste but don't know where to start, we'd like to introduce you to a fabulous resource.
Put A Cup In It is an online resource with pretty much everything you need to know about menstrual cups (and other forms of reusable products). They've got a YouTube channel full of reviews, a quiz to help you find the right cup, and a supportive online community on Facebook.
VIDEO: What is a Menstrual Cup
Lids4Kids is back in action
On Tuesday 2 November, Lids4Kids is bringing back their weekly Drop-in, Drop-Off, Catch-Up & Sort event. For several years now, Lids4Kids, founded by a Canberra local, have saved millions of plastic bottle lids from landfill and are innovating ways to recycle lids into practical, useful objects.
At this drop-in event you can drop off tricky recyclables and bottle lids, and stay for a chat with the awesome volunteers. Check out all the details on the Facebook event.
Zero Waste Festival postponed to 2022
In case you missed our last newsletter, we're including this reminder that the Zero Waste Festival, initially planned for 11 September this year, has been postponed to 30 April 2022 due to COVID-19. The festival will be held at Kambri, ANU, and feature a diverse lineup of speakers from community, industry and government. See our festival program on our website.