1. Take your own bags

If you aren’t aware of the push to bring your own bags to the supermarket you must be living under a rock! Taking your own bags not only reduces plastic waste but now also saves you paying for reusable ones.  

2. Reusable cups

Most paper based cups are lined with a membrane of polyethylene to make them waterproof – but it also means they can’t be recycled. There’s a cult like following for reusable cups. Check out Keep Cups, Frank Green or even Simply Cups for some cool designs – plus lots of cafes now give a discount if you bring your own cup. Don’t forget to take a water bottle with you when you’re out and about to avoid purchasing while you’re out.

3. Ditch plastic cutlery and BYOB

Often buy lunch at work? Consider buying a set of cutlery and bring your own bowl (BYOB) to have your food put in when you get takeaway and ditch the throwaway plastic. There’s plenty of environmentally friendly alternatives for single use plastics too – including compostable doggy bags!

4. Borrow instead of buying

Not only will you save money, but you’ll also prevent clutter in your home. Borrowing items such as dvds, books, tools and suitcases can help limit goods ending up in landfill.  You also help reduce the emissions of producing these products in the first place.

5. When you do buy – buy smarter 

In Australia we have the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme which can help you make informed choices about the water efficiency of the products you’re buying. 
There’s also the energy star labels which clearly state the energy consumption of the product out of six stars. Buying energy efficient appliances isn’t just good for the environment but can also reduce running costs too.

6. Use rechargeable batteries 

When taken to landfill most batteries can release harmful metals like mercury, lead and cadmium into the environment*. Rechargeable batteries can be used multiple times reducing waste ending up in landfill.  

7. Buy local

Buy local fruit and vegetables that are in season to help reduce the effects of transport on our environment. These products also often have less plastic packaging and support local business.

8. See the light 

LED light bulbs can last anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 hours^ – that’s around five times longer than regular bulbs. They also use about 80 to 85 per cent less electricity which could save you on power bills.

9. Give straws the flick 

The humble plastic straw is one of the most harmful pieces of plastic to an environment. They can take hundreds, sometimes thousands of years to break down – a long time for something that we use once then throw away! Eco-friendly reusable straws made from bamboo or steel are becoming increasingly popular but if they’re using plastic don’t be afraid to politely ask the waiter or bartender to hold the straw.

10. Switch to online statements

By switching to online statements you’ll not only be helping the environment, but you’ll also benefit by being able to access your super statements wherever you are, 24/7. 

Statements are also saved in your online account so you can go back to them whenever you want.

SWITCH TO ONLINE STATEMENTS