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Waste saving case studies

Case study 1: Nappies

It is important to consider the environmental costs of water, electricity and washing powder as well as the benefits of avoiding waste.

When you are thinking about which type of nappy to use, remember:

• Nappy wash services cost about the same as disposable nappies.
• New easy-to-use-fasteners and fitted cloth nappies make cloth nappies easier to use than they used to be.
• Washing cloth nappies at home is often the cheapest option.

One baby can use up to 6,000 disposable nappies.

 

Each cotton nappy can be used hundreds of times and then reused as a rag.

If you decide to use cloth nappies, there are two environmentally-friendly ways of washing them:

1. Scrape off solids, rinse in water and soak in bicarbonate of soda. Then wash in pure soap, rinse with a little vinegar and dry in the sun.
2. Scrape off solids, rinse in water and soak in a napisoak powder. Then rinse in cold water before drying in the sun.

If you find that you have to use disposables sometimes, don't worry. Just try to use as few as possible.

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Case Study 2: Green cleaning

Many common household items such as cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, batteries, paints, varnishes, oils and solvents are toxic. They can make people sick and damage the environment. Avoid buying them whenever you can and never put these things in the garbage or wash them down the sink. Your council collects them.

To avoid waste and save money you can use simple cleaning agents such as bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, eucalyptus oil, washing soda, cloudy ammonia.

Most household cleaning can be done with a few simple ingredients:

• bicarbonate of soda, also known as baking soda
• vinegar
• washing soda
• pure soap.

Environmentally friendly recipes for cleaners

• For a general purpose cleaner mix 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda with 1 teaspoon of soap in 1/4 litre of water. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or washing soda to cut grease.
• Clean bathroom and kitchen surfaces with pure soap and bicarbonate. Apply with a firm brush.
• If you want to make your house smell good while you clean, put a few drops of eucalyptus or lavender oil into a bucket of water while you mop or put a few drops into your vacuum cleaner bag.
• If possible, tip waste water from your cleaning onto grass rather than down the drain and remember the dust from the vacuum cleaner bag can go into your compost heap.