As Auckland Council’s Waste Solutions Senior Advisor, Waveney Warth is a big advocate of our aspirational goal for the city to become zero waste by 2040.
But she doesn’t just talk the talk. Waveney and her husband Matthew have been embracing a low-waste lifestyle since 2008.
The couple send less than one rubbish bag full of waste to landfill each year. OurAuckland spoke with Waveney, who had some great tips for others keen to follow in their low-carbon footsteps.
What made you decide to go rubbish free?
My husband and I weren’t happy that our consumption choices were making the world a worse place. We challenged ourselves to go 100 per cent rubbish free for one year in February 2008.We have been living almost zero waste ever since.
What has been the most challenging aspect?
Avoiding plastic packaging is really challenging because every day we are surrounded by it. Although it’s possible to recycle most of it, plastic food packaging requires virgin plastic, so recycling doesn’t stem the tide of plastic in our environment. We avoid plastic as much as we can and try to shop where we can take our own containers like the butcher and bulk food stores.
Tell us about some of the rubbish-free initiatives you use that some people might not think of.
Living waste free is only possible if I think about items becoming rubbish way before they actually are. Whether I’m buying a new bucket or new curtains, at the point of purchase I’m thinking, ‘What can I do with this item at the end of its life?’
I try to purchase items that can be recycled, repurposed or composted. For example, I recently purchased curtains made from 100 per cent natural, non-toxic materials so I can eventually use them as weed mat in the garden that will enrich the soil as it slowly breaks down.
Tell us how your shopping habits have changed.
Believe it or not, shopping has become more enjoyable. I used to slog it out once a week at the local supermarket, now I go once every month or two. Instead we buy in bulk and from our butcher – some of these we only visit once a year.
For fresh goods we get a fruit and vegetable box delivered every week and pop in to the corner store for milk, bread and eggs.
Tell us about some of the benefits for your family.
Avoiding rubbish often also means buying fresh, local and toxin free. But the main benefit is in knowing our actions are helping create the world we want to live in.
What’s one thing everyone can do today that can make a difference?
There is one single thing that could change the way thousands of decisions are made every week. I suggest people take a fresh look at the everyday manufactured items that surround them – for example a barbecue, a t-shirt or a packet of chips – and consider their true lifespan.
Most items we use every day have a surprisingly complex history and a long future. Resources used may have taken hundreds of years to grow and release tonnes of carbon emissions to the atmosphere. After we throw something ‘away’, consider: how long will it last? Is it toxic?
Our use of a product may only last a few minutes, or years, but what will happen to it over the next ten, 100 and 1000 years? Was it worth it? Could we make a different decision next time we buy?
Find out more about Auckland Council's zero waste initiatives.
