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 are banned from sale or supply in Victoria from February 2023. Find out more at the Victorian Government website.
Single-use items to avoid
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 and Ozharvest
- 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 junk mail.
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
The use of reusable containers is legal so always ask. |
| 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).
The use of reusable containers is legal so always ask.
|
| Milk |
Switch to returnable glass bottles
|
Milk in glass is available from Schulz Organic Dairy.
Buy it from:
Milk in glass is available from Barambah Organics.
Buy it from:
|
| Nappies and sanitary items |
Use reusable options |
Search online for a variety of options for reusable period/sanitary and nappy products.
|
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.
- Contact the Reuse Shop in Plenty to see if they will take your items
Use online options for buying, donating 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.
Reusable nappies
Try reusable nappies while reducing waste to landfill and saving money at the same time. For more information visit The Nappy Project.
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
From 9 November 2022, REDcycle and soft plastic recycling has been paused. REDcycle is a program to recycle soft plastics through supermarkets.The program has been suspended due to limited recycling options and end markets for their products. Keep updated with efforts to re-start the program.
E-waste
Recycle your e-waste (any unwanted item with a plug, cord or battery) at our:
Clothing/textiles
Edendale Farm
Visit Edendale Farm to find items accepted for recycling.
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:
- Visit the Compost Revolution website
- Enter your address for verification
- Complete an online tutorial and quiz
- 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.
Got a tip to share?
If you have other waste reduction tips or suggested services to add to this page, let us know.
Provide a waste reduction tip