Five Things You Should Do This World Recycling Day

Saving the planet shouldn’t be hard.

This post is presented in partnership with Upparel.

Despite Elon Musk’s best efforts to colonise Mars, living in outer space is not really a viable option (at least for now).

More importantly, it’s an unnecessary alternative if we take proper care of the planet we already live on.

Earth is a beautiful place, and you can help keep it beautiful this World Recycling Day on 18 March by creating new recycling habits that lead to a healthy and sustainable environment.

Better yet, creating eco-friendly habits doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, here are five easy things you can do to make a difference.

1. Recycle your unwanted clothing.

We get it, you’ve outgrown your shirts, or certain items just aren’t in fashion anymore. On average, a person will throw away 23kg of clothing each year. This equates to over 800,000,000 kilograms disposed of annually in Australia alone.

So, if you’ve got clothes that you want to get rid of, instead of throwing them into the bin, why not recycle your old clothes? That’s where UPPAREL comes in.

They take the hassle out of sorting through your items, and will determine if they can be reused, repurposed or upcycled, then UPPAREL will distribute the items where possible, or recycle them where necessary.

This ensures that nothing ends up in landfill, and prevents Op Shops from receiving endless amounts of stock that they cannot sell due to its condition.

Using the power of community and partnerships, this enviro-conscious company are reducing the number of textiles that end up in landfill whilst increasing their lifespan by upcycling them into new products.

Plus! When you recycle your clothes with them, UPPAREL gives you your money back in store credit to spend in their online store on some new sustainable essentials.

Here at Student Edge, we’ve partnered with UPPAREL to offer you, our community, $5 off their clothing recycling collection to ensure that you don’t send your old, unwanted clothing to landfill, and you’ll get $20 to spend on their online store. Click here to get started. 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. Start composting.

How much food do you think you waste each week? Hey, it happens. You get full, food goes off or you drop it on the floor (we've all done it). 

That food scrap is wasted in landfill. However, it can also make a massive difference in the garden.

When added to your garden bed, those food scraps will decompose over time, pumping your soil with healthy nutrients and making your plants flourish.

You’re getting rid of waste and growing your garden. It's a win-win!

It’s not hard to do either. Set aside a container somewhere in your kitchen to place food scraps in, and at the end of each day, take it out to the garden.

In terms of how to put it in the garden, there are some different options here. We recommend getting yourself a compost bin to place outside. This contains the smell and stops any unwanted pests from getting to it.

On the other hand, if you’re feeling cheap, just dig a hole and bury your food scraps instead.

3. Dispose of electrical waste (e-waste).

Phones, laptops, tablets and other tech have done wonders for the world of communication; not so much for the world itself.

Last year, humans produced approximately 56.1 million tonnes of electrical waste, and according to The Conversation, it's not slowing down.

Chances are you have a couple of old phones sitting in a draw at home. Why not put them to good use? If they are working, try selling them. Make a little cash and declutter your home.

If it’s not worth selling, you'll be able to find a service to recycle your old phone—perfect for that old iPhone 5 that has been collecting dust.

The other big e-waste contributor are batteries. Every year, around 300 million batteries are chucked out, ending up in landfill.

If you need to throw out batteries, your local council will have free collection locations near where you live, you'll just have to contact them to find out.

An even better way to reduce battery waste is to buy rechargeable batteries. Did you know it takes 1000 regular batteries to equal the lifespan of one rechargeable battery?

It’s a no brainer, really.

4. Recycle your water.

Around 80% of household water is going to waste through showers, dishwashers, taps and hoses.

Admittedly, some of those can’t be helped (like the toilet) but there are some changes that can totally make a difference.

By putting a bucket under your tap in the laundry, the water collected from washing your hands there can be used to water your garden.

If you’re wanting to step it up to that next level, you can look at running a grey water hose from your washing machine into your backyard.

This sends water from a finished washing load out through the hose into the garden instead of into the drain.

5. Get a re-useable coffee cup.

If you’re like us, then you need a coffee buzz in the morning to wake up your brain.

What’s getting us down though is the fact that 2.7 million single-use coffee cups are thrown out every day in Australia.

It’s fantastic to see that cafés are changing over to recyclable coffee cups, but why not add some personality to your morning brew with your very own reusable coffee cup?

Switching over from single-use to reusable is also a great way to save some money with café’s now offering discounts for reusable cup users.

Remember, you are trying to create new recycling habits, not one-off solutions that you'll get tired of doing after a few weeks. Don’t feel like you should be doing absolutely everything from day one.

Pick one habit and make it a part of your daily routine. Once you feel you have it down, pick another recycling habit and introduce it into your life.

It’s not a race after all. There are no losers when we recycle, only winners.

Have 10kg of your old, unwanted clothing collected for just $20, and receive a $20 store credit to spend at UPPAREL.

Header Image: Ramin Talaie / Contributor via Getty Images