Living a zero-waste lifestyle comes down to changing old habits and becoming more aware of your personal footprint and the impact you have on the environment. Here are a few simple tips to help you reduce the waste your household generates on a daily basis

1. Only buy what you need

Plan your weekly meals and stop buying more than you can eat in a week. It’s also important to be aware of not accumulating unnecessary junk. Don’t bring anything into your house that you don’t need. Only use reusable grocery bags and never bring another plastic bag into your home.

2. Stop using disposables

Rethink the way you store items by replacing disposables with reusables. There is no reason for you to keep buying paper towels, wax paper, disposable cups and plates, sandwich bags and cling wrap.

3. Stay organized

Clean out your fridge, cupboards and closets. Give away everything you don’t need or use.

4. Reuse

Transform your leftovers into creative lunches for the next day or make delicious stews.

5. Compost

Start your own compost bin. A few examples of things that can be composted are egg boxes, old newspapers, teabags, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps and egg shells.

6. Go natural

When cleaning and disinfecting your home it’s best to go natural. Instead of buying unnecessary and toxic cleaning products you can switch to using lemon juice, white vinegar and baking soda.

7. Recycle

If you do have to buy certain items in packages choose glass, metal and cardboard where possible and avoid plastic. Think of recycling as a last resort. First ask yourself whether an item can be reused in a creative way.

Follow these tips to reduce your household waste output and live a cleaner lifestyle.

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Averda is a leading waste management provider with over 50 years of experience across three continents. Through growth, transformation and engagement, we strive to find new ways of managing waste while protecting the community and environment.

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By pairing international expertise with local insights, we have secured our position as one of South Africa’s most respected providers of waste management and industrial cleaning services. We also operate in the recycling, pipe inspection, CCTV, infrastructure inspection, hydro-demolition, high-pressure water jetting and catalyst handling industries.

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