Waste Reduction may seem daunting, but there are many simple steps that can be taken to commence the journey to producing less waste! Some of the easiest changes can be implemented at home. Your home is a great opportunity to try some new ideas for waste reduction and see what works for you!

Start A Compost Bin

Composting is one of the best methods for reducing unnecessary food waste. Food scraps sent to the landfill create harmful greenhouse gases, and so choosing instead to compost is a great alternative. And don’t worry! Composting can occur in the winter as well. If you’re interested in composting, we have compiled a number of composting resources to get you going. Still unsure? Keep an eye out on our events page, as we often host free Backyard Composting 101 workshops.

This Waste Reduction Week, challenge yourself by starting a compost bin of your own! Check out our how-to guide on composting. Get in touch with our composting hotline at 204-925-3777 if you have any questions or need some tips!

Go Plastic Free

Plastic Free July may have come and gone for the year, but that doesn’t mean that those resources can’t be used for the rest of the year! Take Waste Reduction Week as an opportunity to reduce your plastic. Some specific ideas that you can try:

  • Go Plastic Packaging Free
  • Bring Reusable Bags when you shop
  • Ditch the Plastic Straw and choose a more sustainable option (or don’t use a straw at all!)
  • Keep a reusable water bottle and thermos handy to avoid single-use plastic water bottles and take-out coffee cups
  • Use tupperware containers and reusable lunch bags instead of single-use plastic

This Waste Reduction Week, challenge yourself by choosing a plastic free option from the list above, or from Plastic Free July’s Action Picker and commit to implementing this option for the week and beyond.

Do Your Own Waste Audit

This one can be a little messy, but a household waste audit is an extremely valuable learning experience.

The basic principle of a waste audit is to empty all waste and recycle bins in your household, then collect your discards over 24-hours as normal. Instead of throwing the discards out, take it and separate it (preferably outside and on a tarp or something that can be washed afterward) by bin. Take a look and see what was thrown into a garbage bin that is actually recyclable, what could be composted, and what your household tends to discard a lot of. Not quite sure what can be recycled in Manitoba? Check out Recycle Manitoba to search for those questionable items and see just where it should go.

This Waste Reduction Week, challenge yourself to perform a waste audit, collect your discards and critically determine what changes you can make in your waste habits. If you have any questions or want to follow up on your audit, get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help!

Challenge Your Children to Reduce Waste

School and play and sports and work and dinners…raising kids can be a lot of work! It’s also a great opportunity to introduce waste reduction in a fun and easy way. We recommend trying a 7-day waste reduction challenge, and it can easily be adapted from Going Zero Waste’s 31-Day Zero Waste Challenge!