Reduce your waste

Reducing your waste benefits our community, the economy and the environment. This goes beyond recycling. You can also take steps to avoid, reduce, reuse and compost waste in Nillumbik.

Avoid

To avoid waste, start by only buying items when you really need them and avoiding single-use items.

Single-use straws, cutlery, plates, drink-stirrers, expanded polystyrene food and drink containers and cotton bud sticks will be banned from sale or supply in Victoria by February 2023. Find out more at the Victorian Government website.

Single-use items to avoid

 Avoid Do this instead  Helpful resources
Plastic bags Carry a reusable bag with you.

Visit EPA Victoria for information about Victoria's plastic bag ban.

Visit Sustainability Victoria for tips on alternatives to single-use plastic bags.

Join Nillumbik Boomerang Bags on Facebook.
Takeaway bottles Use a reusable drink bottle. Visit Clean Up Australia to learn more about the problems with plastic drink containers.
Disposable cups Drink your hot drink at the café or use a reusable takeaway cup.

Visit Clean Up Australia to learn more about the problems with single-use coffee cups.

Find a local cafe taking action to reduce waste, via Responsible Cafes.
Straws Drink straight from the cup or carry a reusable straw with you. Join the StrawNoMore movement.
Balloons Use bubbles, reusable flags or bunting instead of balloons Visit the Zoos Victoria to learn why balloons are harmful to seabirds.

Reduce

To reduce waste, you can: 

  • buy items with less packaging
  • choose loose fruit and vegetables over wrapped or shop at local markets in Nillumbik
  • reduce your food waste at home using tips from Sustainability Victoria's Love Food Hate Waste campaign
  • buy electronic household items that are higher in quality and last longer
  • put a 'no advertising' sign on your letter box and follow Clean Up Australia's tips for reducing your junkmail.

Local markets in Nillumbik

Reuse

To reuse items, you can:

Choose reusable and refillable options in Nillumbik

When shopping for    Do this  Reusable options
Takeaway food and drink
 Use reusable containers and cups

Find local businesses that accept reusable containers at Trashless Takeaway

Provide your own reusable containers and get a discount on pre-made meals from local social enterprise Green Karma. 
Food or cleaning products  Buy in bulk and fill a reusable container

Buy cleaning detergents, honey, peanut butter, olive oil and more in bulk from Natures Harvest Whole Food Health Store (Hurstbridge).

Buy foods, grains, nuts and more in bulk from Organic Fix Health Food Store (Eltham).

Buy bulk wholefoods from Thrive (Eltham).

Refill your cleaning products with Roving Refills.
Meat or deli products  Try supplying reusable containers    

Shop at Ritchies SUPA IGA in Diamond Creek.  

Shop at Yarra Valley Poultry (Eltham).
Milk Switch to returnable glass bottles 

Milk in glass is available from Schulz Organic Dairy.
Buy it from: 

Millk in glass is available from Barambah Organics.
Buy it from: 
Nappies and sanitary items  Use reusable options

For sanitary items, visit Going Green Solutions (Hurstbridge).

Try using Modibodi underwear.

Search online for reusable nappy services.

Repair broken items

Try repairing broken items instead of replacing them.Take your broken items to a repair cafe near you.

Repair cafes are a place you can bring your broken stuff to receive a new lease on life. Skilled volunteers perform simple repairs at various community hubs around Melbourne. It's also a great way to interact with your local community. 

Visit the repair cafe websites for event times and further information:

Buy, borrow, sell or give away in Nillumbik

Shop secondhand and sell or give away your good quality household goods or clothes

Find your local op shop.

Donate clothing items in good condition via the clothing bins located in:

  • the carpark near Eltham Train Station
  • the Coles car park at Diamond Creek.

Use online options for buying and selling secondhand items through: 

Try buying, selling or sharing second hand fashion online using: 

Instead of buying new toys, visit:

Reusable party decorations

Borrow reusable party decorations instead of buying disposable ones. Visit Party kit network in Hurstbridge to find out more.  

Repurpose

To make unwanted used or broken items into new things, you can:

  • offer them to Edendale Farm for use in community art activities. For information about accepted items, contact Edendale Farm. 
  • repurpose old sheets by cutting up and using as rags or cleaning cloths.

Recycle

When recycling, use our kerbside recycling system correctly and make sure there are no recyclable items in your red landfill bin.

To find out how to recycle or dispose of a specific item, check our A-Z Recycling Guide.

Recycling drop off locations in Nillumbik

Soft plastics

Collect any soft plastic packaging and plastic bags and take to:

  • Coles, Diamond Creek
  • Coles, Eltham
  • Woolworths, Eltham

For more drop off locations, visit REDcycle.

E-waste

Recycle your e-waste (any unwanted item with a plug, cord or battery) at our:

Clothing

Visit Recycling Near You to find locations for recycling clothing.

Edendale Farm

Visit Edendale Farm to find items accepted for recycling.

Going Green Solutions

Visit Going Green Solutions in Hurstbridge to recycle:

For more information, visit: Going Green Solutions

Compost

To recycle your food waste, you can use:

  • your green waste bin
  • a home compost system

Composting at home in Nillumbik

Composting your food scraps, grass and garden clippings at home provides an excellent source of free garden food. It also reduces greenhouse gases, saves water and creates more space in your green waste bin.

Get a discounted composting products

Compost Revolution 

As a pilot program, Nillumbik Shire Council has partnered with Compost Revolution to make it easier for residents to try composting at home.

Nillumbik households are eligible to one compost system at 50 per cent off the recommended retail price, including free home delivery. Products available include a compost bin, worm farm, bokashi bin and helpful accessories.

To order:

  1. Visit the Compost Revolution website
  2. Enter your address for verification
  3. Complete an online tutorial and quiz
  4. Order your product at the discounted price

This offer is available to Nillumbik residential properties only. Once all discounted stock is sold the program will be stopped and evaluated.

Edendale Community Environment Farm

Discounted composting products are available from Edendale Farm all year round. 

For more details, visit the Edendale Farm things we sell page.

Buy recycled 

Buy items made from recycled materials, such as gifts, copy paper and toilet paper.

Buy recycled in Nillumbik

Buy bulk recycled toilet paper, sustainable catering supplies, containers and recycled products from Going Green Solutions (Hurstbridge).  

Got a tip to share?

If you have other waste reduction tips or suggested services to add to this page, please let us know:

Provide a waste reduction tip

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