How to manage your waste at home

Introduction
Whether we like it or not, domestic waste is a normal part of everyday home life; putting the trash out is considered a chore at the same level as hovering or cleaning, yet more and more households are finding themselves with high levels of trash, thanks largely to an increasingly consumer lifestyle with a whole range of food wrappers, product packaging, food waste and other materials that people want to get rid of.

This is putting a large strain on local authorities, and in some areas these authorities are increasing the length between their trash pickups to save money, leaving households with more rubbish than ever. Here are a few simple steps on how best to manage your home waste.
What are the steps to follow?

• Reduce the garbage you bring in. It sounds simple, yet reducing your household waste can be more difficult than people think, as something as regular as food shopping can produce such large volumes of wrapping, packaging, plastic bags, food waste and more. Here are just a few tips:

• Pay attention to the amount of packaging on things you are buying; are they recyclable?

• Buy larger and bulk packages if possible, for example, one large bottle of laundry detergent will last much longer than using multiple smaller bottles.

• Cook more at home. Although you will inevitably end up with some garbage from wrappings, you will still produce less garbage than if you had a takeaway.

• Reduce the garbage put out. Again, simple on concept but you will be amazed at the effect of following a few simple steps will have on your garbage. By simply reducing the amount of garbage you put out, this will have a direct effect on your overall levels of home waste.

• Recycle whenever possible to reduce the amount of garbage you end up putting in your bin.
• Buy more durable and long-term products and take care of your clothes and appliances to reduce their turnover.
• Instead of throwing away broken items, try repairing them or having them repaired.
• Sell, give away or donate items that you don’t want.
• Instead of throwing them away, compost your garden and food waste.
• Only cook the food you can consume. Did you know that in Zimbabwe more than 52 percent of household waste generated is biodegradable (*food waste).
• Reuse whatever you can. As a subset of reducing your garbage output, reusing everyday household items can have a tangible effect on the amounts of home waste you produce. Some tips here are:
• Reuse shopping bags wherever possible.
• Reuse plastic bottles and containers.
• Reuse paper by printing on both sides, or letting your children draw on the back of used paper.
• You can reuse envelopes by sticking paper over the address, or by using them as scrap paper on which to make notes.

Recycling and composting. Recycling and composting can help towards reducing your overall household waste. Home composting benefits your home and your garden, and is simple. Essentially, compost is a natural and complete food for your soil, improving its structure and overall health. Just put all bio-degradable material into your compost bin and nature will take care of the rest. Examples of items you can use to make compost include Tea leaves, coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit peelings, grass cutting, weeds, crushed egg shells and so on. Avoid using things such as bodily fluids, nappies, meat, cleaning fluids and other household chemicals.

• The Local authorities aren’t your only choice. When it comes to your recycling, the council is not your only choice. There are an increasing number of private waste collection companies that can collect more often that a local council might, with the added bonus of sorting through your waste themselves, making the entire process of recycling more simple for those households who are less inclined to go the extra mile.

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