More than 21 million Aussies have participated in Clean Up Australia activities and events over the past three decades.
Over that time Clean Up Australia has evolved to provide practical solutions to help all Australians live more sustainably every day of the year, and emerged as one of the country’s most recognised, credible and trusted environmental charities.
Today our focus is as much on preventing rubbish entering our environment as it is removing what has already accumulated.
Join in and register now
Whilst recycling is important, refusing and reducing what we consume is the first step we should take to sustainably manage waste. This reduces the consumption of water, energy, fuel and natural resources needed to make new materials and eventually recycle.
Here are some more examples of how to use the Waste Hierarchy.
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>Refuse
Refusing packaging at the source puts pressure on manufactures to produce more sustainable alternatives.
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Refuse packaging where possible choosing loose items.
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Refuse single use produce bags and shopping bags.
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Refuse over packaged items with multiple layers of packaging.
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Refuse fast fashion and move towards sustainable fashion.
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>Reduce
Reducing the amount of soft plastics and packaged products is more cost effective and reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
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Use reusable shopping bags.
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Use reusable produce bags.
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Choose packaging that is compostable.
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Use a shopping list and menu planner to avoid food waste.
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Compost food scraps, reducing the amount of food waste going to landfill.
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>Repair
Many items we place out for Kerbside Clean Up collections can be repaired.
The Bower is an environmental charity offering programs and services to create a circular economy.
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>Reuse
Many items we place out for Kerbside Clean Up or dispose of can be reused. Here are some examples of how to reuse items.
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>Resell
Many items we place out for Kerbside Clean Up or dispose of can be resold.
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>Recycle
If you have exhausted all the above options and have materials to recycle, the following options are available:
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E-Waste including televisions, set top boxes, computers and more.
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Household Chemical CleanOut including paints, chemicals, gas bottles and more.
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Batteries, CDS, DVDS and mobile phones - can be recycled for free at:
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Georges River Council Civic Centre – Corner of Dora and Macmahon Streets, Hurstville.
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Clive James Library – Kogarah Town Square, Belgrave Street, Kogarah.
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Hurstville Library - Corner of Queen and Dora Streets, Hurstville.
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Return and Earn container deposit scheme.
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Recycle Mate app.
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A-Z Recycling.
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